


Self Discovery

by hikari100



Series: The Flames Journey [1]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Angst, Character Death, Disabled Character, F/M, M/M, Male Slash, Neglect, One-Sided Relationship, Transformation, character torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2018-02-21 12:44:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2468627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hikari100/pseuds/hikari100
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tai Kamiya and Takuya Kanbara, two different boys with entirely different lives; but are they really so different? Tai is hiding a dark secret about his past, something that threatens not only him, but the human race as well. Can the Digidestined uncover it in time and help Tai heal? Or is the past so dangerous, that Tai would let it consume him?</p><p>It's a race against time.<br/>Can they win?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Deadly Memories

Hello there.

My name is Taichi ‘Kasai’ Kamiya. But then again, that really isn’t my name, is it? Hm, perhaps I should explain myself? I suppose that it all started the day that I got that strange text message, a message about my destiny.

And I wasn’t the only one to receive such a thing, four others had as well. Our destiny, as it turned out, was to protect our world and a world of data from the darkness. What wasn’t known at the time, that a fifth kid had followed us. If I knew then on what I know now, I would never have accepted that stupid message.

Sigh.

Anyhow, the other kids had been Kouji Minamoto, Junpei ‘JP’ Shibiyama, Zoe Orimoto and of course, Tommy Himi. The final kid, much to our surprise, had been Kouji’s twin brother; Kouichi Kimura.

Where was I?  
Oh, that’s right.

After arriving, we were each given an elemental spirit. Kouji was given Lobomon, spirit of light; JP received Beetlemon, the spirit of thunder; Zoe was given Kazemon, the spirit of wind; and Tommy received Kumamon, the spirit of ice. And as for me and Kouichi? I, myself was given Agunimon, the spirit of fire. Unfortunately, Kouichi had been possessed by the corrupted spirit of darkness; Duskmon. Thankfully, Kouji and I were able to free him and Kouichi was able to purify Duskmon; turning it into Loëwmon. After defeating the corrupted Cherubimon and with Kouji and I gaining our mega forms, we came face-to-face with the traitorous Royal Knights; Crusadermon and Dynasmon. It was about two months after that first encounter, that everything went to hell.

Lucemon was free once more.

Kouji and I were fighting against the Knights when Lucemon showed up. To our shock, Lucemon easily destroyed the Knights with a flick of his wrist. Then the fallen angel turned to use, a strange look in his blue eyes.

I shivered.

Before we could react, there was a flash of light, followed by a slight pressure that sounded like an explosion. When I came to, I realized that, despite everything, I was alright; if not a little sore. But, when I went to check on my friends, I was shocked to find a familiar ring of data circling them.

Why?

I slowly got to my feet and stumbled over to where Kouji laid, and carefully cradled his lifeless body. Moments later, he stirred and hazy eyes stared back. He reached a shaky hand up, and caressed a cheek. “Why…are you crying…?” He rasped as I realized that he was right.

I was crying.

“Please...,” he whispered, grasping my hand. “Use our spirits to fight him.” I cringed as I heard the others stirring; coughing wetly, sounding as if they were in great pain. “I know that you can do it.” I was surprised, to say the least. Did they really think I could take on Lucemon?

Alone?  
Not a chance in hell!

Before I could react, they were passing the elementals over to me. Not only did their spirits merged with mine; the spirits of water, earth, wood and metal joined in as well. Then, my friends were gone; deleted. That was when I felt a gentle pressure on my shoulder. Swallowing thickly, I slowly looked up and turned white as I found myself staring into the amused blue eyes of Lucemon. Something about the angel sent a deadly chill through me, so much so, that I shuddered.

Alright, now here’s where things get a little weird. At this point, I don’t remember much, but I do remember this. A sickening feeling, a surge of burning heat and a temporary loss of hearing, and my vision turned red. When I regained my senses, I realized that I was no longer in the Digital World, but standing on a street; in a neighborhood that was all too familiar.

Shibuya.  
More importantly, the street where I lived.

Thinking that everything would be fine now, I turned to go back home, only to freeze in utter horror. I was standing before my home, only now there was a pile of burning rubble that laid before me. There was an odd smell, and I nearly gagged as I realized what it was. 

Burnt meat.  
Oh no…

Covering my mouth, I staggered back, trying not to gag as I teared up. Everything that I knew was gone, and my family…I unexpectedly burst into painful tears. Why couldn’t I control my emotions?

“Child?”  
…huh?

Swiping at my eyes, I shakily looked up, surprised to find a young woman kneeling before me. She was pretty, somewhere in her early twenties with long brown hair that was tied back, pale skin and shockingly enough; pink eyes. “What are you doing here? And where are your parents?” I looked back toward the ruins of my home and she seemed to understand. Without warning, my vision swam and I felt strangely weak. The next thing I knew, I had passed out; slipping into the startled woman’s arms.

Not good.

.-.-.-.

When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital. Turning my head, I found the woman from before, along with a man and a little girl; her husband and daughter, maybe? This left me rather confused; after all, I was a stranger to them. Sometime after I woke up, a doctor was talking with the couple; who I learned to be Akai and Shokoro Kamiya. It turned out that I was suffering from a massive heat stroke, as well as severe burns. A sickening feeling took over me as I laid there in shock. Were my injuries the result of Lucemon?

Guess I’ll never know.

I started to fall back asleep, when I overheard the doctor saying something that shouldn’t have been possible. What did he mean by calling me a child?

It couldn’t be…  
…could it?

.-.-.-.

Well, it would seem that I was right about my suspicions. I was somehow younger, roughly about six or seven. Maybe during the transition between worlds I was de-aged? 

.-.-.-.

It’s been a year since my family’s death, and since my adoption. Yes, you heard me. While recovering, the Kamiya’s adopted me into the family, and I had a chance to learn more about them. Shokoro was a tall, thin man with tanned skin, short buzz cut brown hair, and warm brown eyes. Their daughter, Kari, resembled Akai a great deal, only her hair and eyes were a darker shade. Akai was a stay-at home mother, and she favored in making her own healthy recipes. While Shokoro, on the other hand, worked as a clerk somewhere near their apartment in Heighten View Terrace. Kari was an adorable little girl, who used her whistle to communicate.

While it was nice, I would eventually lose their trust after Kari’s accident. There may not be anything physical, but there was some neglectfulness, if anything else. I feel awful about this.

What do I do now?

.-.-.-.

It was about a week after my eighth ‘birthday’ that things really spiraled out of control. I had gotten up during the night for a glass of water; and as I headed back to bed, I caught sight of a soft glow coming from Shokoro’s study. Curious as to what it was, I took a peek.

And a good thing, too.

I was surprised to find Kari standing before Shokoro’s computer. For some reason, it was on and I was a bit worried about that. “Kari,” I hissed as I walked up to her. “You know this room is off limits!” Kari just gazed at the monitor, her eyes wide. “But, it’s doing something weird!” She insisted as I snorted. Rolling my eyes, I went back to bed. Unfortunately, for me that is, Kari was right about the computer. Something weird was happening. I awoke the next morning to Akai announcing that she was going to the store for tonight’s dinner. Something about liver snaps, causing me to gag at such a thought. Sighing, I climbed down, and turned to wake Kari up, only to freeze at what she was cuddling with.

A Digi-Egg.

I gritted my teeth, but quickly forced it back as I gently shook her. Kari soon woke up and I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for us. I got her settled, then I started the process of whipping up some fluffy omelets. Setting our plates down, I blinked as the egg hatched into a black blob with stubby ears and glowing yellow eyes.

A Botamon.

My eyes narrowed slightly, but I kept quiet. I watched as Kari fed it some of her eggs, and I felt like screaming. Couldn’t I get away from Digimon? After breakfast, Kari toddled back to our room, and I went on in cleaning up.

…eh?

I looked around the kitchen, surprised when every electronic started to haywire. A suspicious thought came to me, as I turned my head slightly toward our room; accidentally dropping a plate. What if—?

Oh shit.

Panicking, I bolted for our room, only to cringe. Gone was the little blob, instead he had been replaced with a pink creature the size of a soccer ball, long and thin rabbit-like ears, needle sharp teeth and large crimson eyes.

Great.  
Note the sarcasm!

Kari tilted her head. “What is it?” Again, I gritted my teeth knowing that if I spoke, I would regret it. The Digimon, which I recognized to be Koromon, started hopping up and down with excitement.

Jumpy, wasn’t he?

I looked on, raising an eyebrow as Kari brought in Miko’s; the family cat, food bowl. Koromon stopped bouncing, his red eyes gleaming as he eyed the bowl hungrily. I blinked as he started to gobble it up. Huh, didn’t think that he would like cat food. Hearing a soft rustle, and turning my head slightly, I winced.

It was Miko.  
A very angry Miko.

The cat growled, seeing that Koromon was eating her food, and boy, was she pissed. Hissing, Miko raised a paw and clawed the poor guy in his right cheek. I cringed as he started crying, a faint echo of pain throbbed in my right cheek.

Ouch.

Sighing, I went to grab the first-aid kit, and when I returned, I was relieved to find that he had stopped crying. I set the kit down, and knelt next to the sniffling Digimon. Humming softly, I sprayed his cut with some medicine, before putting a bandage on it. To my surprise, Koromon jumped right into my arms. Kari giggled before introducing us to him. Koromon squirmed a bit, but he was smiling. “Hi Kari and Tai!” He chirped. “My name’s Koromon and I’m from the Digi-World!”

Why me?

.-.-.-.

I thought that it was bad enough with Koromon being here, but I should’ve known better. It was a little after midnight, when I was awoken by Kari’s sharp whistling. Confused, if not worried, I scrambled out of bed and climbed down to Kari’s bunk. I raised an eyebrow when I saw that Koromon was literally blue in the face. “Did you give him some of your liver snaps?” I asked, sharply.

Kari shook her head.  
Then that meant…uh-oh…

I looked over sharply, and saw that the clock was going crazy; which confirmed my suspicions. Koromon was getting ready to digivolve once more. But, why was I getting such a bad feeling about this? Without warning, Koromon turned into Agumon. Correction, make that a rather large Agumon. Geeze, he must’ve been at least six feet! As he digivolved, the bunk bed unexpectedly exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. Yelping, I shielded myself, grunting as I was knocked back a bit. As the dust began to settle, I was alarmed by what I found. The wall that had been next to the beds, had been utterly destroyed. And I nearly had a heart attack as Kari crawled onto Agumon’s back. In fact, there was a brief burst of pain as Agumon leapt out of the hole, landing on the streets below. Unfortunately, Kari was still on his back.

Akai was going to kill me.

“Kari? Tai?”  
Whoops.

Feeling ill and weak, I glanced back at the door where Akai was still pounding at; before turning to the ruined wall. Sighing, I knew that I didn’t have much of a choice. Either the fall would kill me or Akai would.

Again, why me?

Taking a deep breath, I backed up until I was at the door. Without hesitation, I ran toward the hole, and took a flying leap. Unfortunately, I slammed into several sets of trees that had been right outside the apartment before landing on the unforgiving pavement with a sickening crack. The sudden impact left me dazed, almost paralyzed from the pain. Stirring, I managed to regain my senses, only to scream as a burning pain gripped my lower body. Gritting my teeth, I forced the pain back before slowly standing up. Wheezing, I followed a trial of destruction that could only have come from Agumon’s claws. As I crossed a bridge, the faint energy of a Digimon caught my attention. Swallowing thickly, I looked up and blanched as a huge Digi-Egg appeared within the skies before hatching.

…into a huge Parrotmon!

Oh man, I needed to find Kari!

Wait, where was Parrotmon going…?

My eyes widen, before cursing and running after the bird. I realized that Parrotmon must’ve sensed Agumon, and was going after him. And if anything happened to Kari, I don’t even want to think about what Akai would do to me! Reaching another bridge, I spotted Parrotmon hovering nearby. Getting an idea, I peered over the edge, and relaxed when I saw that Kari was snuggling up to Agumon. Thankfully, this bridge had a set of stairs that led to the streets below. Limping, I hurried down and over to her.

…eh?

I blinked, a bit hurt when she flinched from me, burying into Agumon. That was when the pain came crashing back. Hissing, I gritted my teeth before looking down at myself.

Oh.  
So that’s why.

I noticed that my left arm hung limp, something pure white jutting from the shoulder. Bruises so dark that I knew went straight to the bone marred my skin a good deal, including numerous cuts of various sizes. Swallowing thickly, my eyes traveled a bit further and I felt bile rise up. My legs were mangled to the point where it was a miracle that I could even stand, much less walk.

Blood everywhere.

Feeling faint, I gave Kari a weak smile. “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “I’ll be fine.” However, I regretted my words as my legs gave out and I collapsed. I could hear Kari whimper and was surprised when she curled up to me. Before I could comfort her, Parrotmon dove for us; only for Agumon to shield us as the bridge above us, gave away.

Yikes!

Dust billowed everywhere as I held onto Kari, who was crying from fear. I coughed, wheezing a bit as Agumon shifted. Blinking back tears, I was shocked by the sight of Agumon’s newest form: Greymon.

H-how?

Kari and I watched in amazement as Greymon and Parrotmon duked it out. Without warning, Parrotmon delivered a nasty below to Greymon’s chest, knocking the dinosaur back and out cold. “Koromon!” Kari cried, squirming in my grasp. “Get up!” Blinking owlishly, I watched as Kari took her whistle and started blowing. Unfortunately, her crying had caused a violent coughing fit. I glanced at her whistle then back to the lifeless Digimon with a thoughtful frown. If it worked for me, why not Greymon? Kari stopped, looking up at me with wide eyes as I grabbed her whistle. I took a deep breath, raised the whistle to my lips, and I blew.

Hard.

Almost instantly, a high-pitched sharp whistle tore through the air. Moments later, I had to stop as my lungs burned. Breathing heavily, I turned to Greymon, and almost had a heart attack when the dinosaur’s red eyes snapped open. Greymon was on his feet in seconds, burning red flames spewing from his open jaw.

“DIGI-NOVA BLAST!”

I immediately shielded Kari as the flames exploded out, spiraling toward Parrotmon with alarming speed. Unfortunately, the force of the impact caused a massive explosion; sending up a wave of pure light.

Yikes!

When the light faded and the dust had settled, I realized that it was a little too quiet. Releasing Kari, I lifted my head and carefully looked around. Besides the ruined buildings and bridge, the two Digimon were nowhere to be found. Kari had gotten back to her feet, calling for Koromon to come back. Relieved that we were safe, I sank into blissful unconsciousness. What I hadn’t known, was that seven other kids had witnessed the incident.

.-.-.-.

That was four years ago.

Thankfully, Kari had forgotten all about it. Unfortunately, for me that is, I had been right about Akai’s reaction. Not only did she tear into me about endangering Kari, but she yelled at me for getting myself injured.

Again.

This time, however, the damage was a bit more extensive. My left arm had been broken in three places, two broken ribs and one fractured, a damaged pelvis and shattered hips, right leg broken in two, left leg had been nearly ripped from the socket, a partially crushed skull, a collapsed lung, and severe internal bleeding.

Damn.

I was lucky to even be alive.

I would spend the next three years in and out of hospitals for various surgeries and of course, physical therapy. Once I was strong enough, we moved from Heighten View Terrace to a comfortable apartment in Odaiba. After that, I was ignored completely by the Kamiya’s.

Ouch.

Sadly, this is where my story truly begins…


	2. It Begins Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's the first day of summer camp and everyone is enjoying it until a freak snow storm hits. A weary Tai is suspicious about the sudden change in weather, and he knows that he has the right to be uneasy. Too bad that no one else shares his unease, that is, except for one lone child.
> 
> A child named Davis.

[That’s planet Earth, home. Only, I don’t think that’s where I am right now. Alright, the whole thing began with the weather going completely out of control. Places that are normally nowhere near water, got drowned in oceans of chocolate sauce. And places that were normally blazing hot in the summer, got super cold. Of course, I had no knowledge about this as I was at summer camp.]

In the woods surrounding the camp, was a nearby clearing with two young boys; although one was in a wheelchair. The eldest boy had short, cropped dark blue hair, pale skin and intense dark eyes that were cleverly hidden behind a pair of silver frames. He wore a short sleeved gray shirt with a cream colored sweater vest, somewhat dark gray shorts, dark blue socks with red-and-white sneakers, and a black wristwatch adorned his right wrist.

[That's Joe, try not to scare him.]

Joe Kido gave the younger boy a small, yet encouraging smile. The boy had rich chocolate curls, somewhat pale skin and large honey colored eyes. He wore a black beater with a short sleeved blue jacket, black shorts and black slipper styled flats. A soft pillow provided comfort for his tender back, while a set of crutches was leaning against the chair.

[Yes, that's me.]

"Come on Tai," Joe urged. "You can do it." Tai Kamiya hesitated, looking down at his lap as if embarrassed. There was a thick band of metal around his left thigh, knee and ankle; with a thin rod connecting them. Sighing, he reached over and grabbed the crutches. Okay, he could do this. Tai took a deep breath, and slowly pushed himself forward. He bit his lip as he stood up, albeit shakily. Grasping at the crutches, Tai started to take a step forward, when his leg sudden gave out as his body protested at such a movement. Joe’s eyes widen when he saw the brunette stumble, but thankfully, he caught Tai before he could hit the ground.

[Joe was helping me with my therapy, when out of nowhere, it started to snow. And we both knew that it was impossible.]

Tai was quiet as Joe helped him back into his chair, but the frustration was clearly visible. "Things will get better soon Tai," Joe assured him. "You'll see." Tai rolled his eyes, scoffing. Before the boys knew it, the temperatures started to drop as a gentle powder drifted lazily from above.

"Snow?"

[That's Sora. She's alright.]

Sora Takenouchi was a pretty tomboy. Her auburn hair curled slightly around her chin, fair skin and shocking ruby eyes. She wore a sleeveless sunny yellow shirt, brightly colored blue jeans, black sneakers, rich magenta gloves and a bright blue ski cap. Sora looked up at the greying skies with a thoughtful frown.

[There goes Matt, just look at that hair!]

Matt Ishida sat under a tree, playing a sweet melody on his harmonica. His spiky, dirty blond hair shadowed his sharp blue eyes as he continued to play. He wore a sleeveless dark green turtleneck, dark blue jeans, brown gloves and scruffy brown boots.

[Then you have TK, Matt’s dopey little brother.]

TK Takashi was Matt’s younger brother. He had the same blond hair and blue eyes as Matt; but his was much softer. He wore a light green sleeved shirt with a dark green vest, brown shorts, white socks and green sneakers, and an emerald cap with a blue gem. When he was younger, his parents had gotten divorced, so Matt lived with their dad, while he remained with their mother.

[Over there is Mimi. Three guesses on what her favorite color is, and the first two do not count!]

Mimi Tachikawa looked up at the skies, as if surprised. Her strawberry blond hair was tied back, fair skin and rich pink eyes. She wore a short sleeved, dark pink cowgirl dress, pink socks with tanned sandal style boots, brown gloves and a large pink cowgirl hat.

[The shy one is Davis.]

Davis Motimya had curled up under a tree, quietly watching the other campers. His shaggy, dark red hair framed his face, naturally tanned skin and somewhat dull crimson eyes. He wore a white shirt with a jean vest, brown shorts, blue socks with white sneakers, and a pair of blue strapped goggles hung limply around his neck.

[Last, but not least, is Izzy. Honestly, that kid should've gone to computer camp instead!]

Izzy Izumi frowned, glancing at his laptop with narrowed eyes. He had short, but spiky dark red hair, fair skin, yet intelligent dark eyes. He wore a dark orange shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark brown shorts, sunny yellow gloves, and dark blue socks with amethyst sneakers.

[So, there we were, when out of nowhere, this blizzard struck. Needless to say, the canoe races were cancelled.]

A deadly blizzard had struck the camp, forcing everyone to seek shelter. And just as fast as it had arrived, the blizzard left. The abrupt storm left behind a blanket of powder white of wonder, enticing the children. One-by-one, the campers piled out, looking around with wide eyes. TK ran out of a cabin, laughing with delight. "I'm gonna build the world's biggest snowman!" He bragged. Unfortunately for TK, his brother was right behind him. "TK!" Matt scolded, gently. "Slow down!" Sora stood in the doorway, shivering. "It's freezing, and I didn't even bring a jacket!" She complained, before there was a gentle pressure at her side. Glancing to her left, Sora was surprised to find Tai sitting there, looking up with amusement. He handed her a simple, but warm jacket.

"Thanks, Tai!" She squealed, slipping it on. Tai flushed, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. Cheeks still pink, he turned his head, before giving a small smile. "Come on, Davis." Sora giggled as a little boy eagerly crawled onto Tai's lap, snuggling up to the boy, before Tai carefully rolled his chair out. How curious, neither Tai nor Davis appeared to be affected by the temperature drop. "Why didn't I pack my fluffy pink snow boots?" Mimi whined, as she took a hesitant step onto the snow. She shivered a bit as her shoes quickly became soaked. "Summer colds are the worst," Joe grumbled as he walked out, gripping his bag tightly. From within the cabin, Izzy was scowling as he glared at his laptop. "This storm is making a mess of my connection." He pulled out his cellphone, flipped it open, and his eyes harden. "Figures," he muttered.

"Hey, Izzy!"  
Huh?

Packing up his things, Izzy walked outside; only to find several kids looking up at the skies. Following their gaze, Izzy was surprised to find a swirl of pale blue, soft green and warm yellow, blending perfectly against the grey skies. "It's pretty," Mimi breathed. "Magical even." Izzy raised an eyebrow, but he looked thoughtful, nonetheless. "But," Joe hesitated. "What is it?"

"Maybe an aurora?" Sora suggested.

"An aurora borealis?" Izzy frowned, looking skeptic. "The northern lights?" Izzy looked at her, as if she had lost her mind or something. "That's impossible as we're far too south." Joe rolled his eyes. "Tell that to the weather," He mumbled. Tai was quiet as he ran a hand through Davis' soft hair, when his eyes caught sight of something.

Uh-oh.

Blazing behind the lights, was a swirling green vortex. Tai's honey eyes widen as a strange light started to glow. "Heads up!" He squeaked, before shielding Davis; knowing what was about to happen next. Without warning, eight lights shot out, spiraling towards the group. Everyone dove for safety, just as the light struck the ground with a sickening crack. The force of such a collision sent snow and dirt billowing everywhere.

As things began to settle, Sora slowly sat up; snow falling from her shoulders. "Is everyone alright?" She called out, softly. "That was scary," Mimi whimpered, sitting up. "We're fine over here," Matt muttered, helping TK to his feet. Tai was brushing the snow away from a shivering Davis, who was whimpering from shock. "What was that?" Joe asked, sounding confused. Izzy had gotten to his feet, and was peering into a hole. "I'm not sure," he mused. Just then, a small light rose up, hovering in front of each child. Reaching out, they each grabbed a light; which promptly turned into a small, slightly round device with square edges, a screen and three blue buttons.

How odd.  
Hm?

Tai's ears twitched as he heard what sounded like running water. Getting a sickening feeling, Tai slowly looked up and paled. "S-surf's up!" He stuttered. Joe, who was closer, turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" Tai simply pointed at something behind them. Swallowing thickly, they turned around before paling.

Water.

To be more precise, it was an oceanic wave rising up from the ground; before dividing in half. Before any of them could react, something tugged on them; hard. Tai could hear the others screaming, but all he knew was pain.

[Not again!]

.-.-.-.

"Takuya…"

[Hn…go away…]

"Wake up!"

Tai's brown eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring into the glittering red eyes of Koromon. "Yoush okay?" Tai turned his head slightly to the right, relieved to see Davis kneeling next to him. He wasn't happy to see that the red head was holding a Digimon of his own. This new Digimon had a round head, but a small, thin frame with stubby ears, hands and feet. It was primarily blue, but had a creamy white face and stomach, as well as dark cinnamon eyes.

[W-who…?]

Tai slowly sat up, wincing as his bruised back protested from it. Koromon hopped off, looking up with wide eyes. "Tai, is that you?" Tai turned his head slightly. "Izzy?" He called, somewhat sharp. "It's me," Izzy called back, stepping out from behind some bushes. "And I got this weird pink thing following me." Hopping next to Izzy was a pink blond with stubby arms and small, round brown eyes. "My name is Motimon," He greeted in a cheerful voice, holding out a hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Tai twitched a bit, and with a huff, scanned their surroundings. There were numerous trees and bushes, and something sparkly caught his attention.

Eh?

Tai peered at the sparkly item, and felt a faint sense of despair as he realized what it was. The sparkly item turned out to be the shattered remains of not only his chair, but his brace as well. Izzy saw this, and was a bit concern. "Are you alright?" He asked curiously as Tai sighed heavily. "Not really," he mumbled. "There was an accident four years ago, and well…" Izzy's eyes widen as realization dawned on him. "And your chair was destroyed when we landed," he summarized as Tai nodded.

Not good.

Davis quietly set his new friend down, before taking Tai's hand firmly, but gently. Tai blinked at him, as if confused. Izzy raised an eyebrow before smiling softly. "I think that he wants you to stand." His smile widen as Davis nodded. Tai shot Izzy a look, brown eyes sharp. "Izzy," he said flatly. "I had a crushed skull, shattered an arm, some ribs, my hip and pelvis, and a leg."

Ouch.

Feeling Davis squeezing his hand, Tai looked down to see the younger boy's hopeful expression. "You really want me to do this, don't you?" Davis smiled happily, earning another sigh.

"Fine."

Realizing that they would need some help, Izzy knelt down and took Tai's other hand. Taking a deep breath, Tai allowed them to swiftly pull him to his feet. Expecting the normal pain that accompanied him, Tai was pleasantly surprised to feel…nothing.

The pain was gone.

"It's gone," he breathed as he took a small, hesitant step. Granted, his muscles were weak from lack of use, but the pain was at least gone. He definitely could live with that. "Tai, Izzy?" Another voice called, somewhat nervous.

Sora?

The boys were relieved when Sora entered the clearing, and she too, had a little creature following her. It was a walking pink radish with deep blue leaves, a curly stem and large green eyes. "Hello," it greeted with a sweet, girlish voice. "My name is Yokomon, it's nice to meet you." Izzy raised an eyebrow. "Another one?" He mumbled. 

Suddenly, Matt and TK ran into the clearing, each with their own creature. Matt was holding a little orange fluff ball with a creamy face, a sharp horn jutted from its head, and warm cinnamon eyes. "Hello," it said with a light, accented voice; cheeks pink. "My name is Tsunomon." TK was cuddling with a pale pink pug-like creature with long, thin ears, beady black eyes and rather sharp teeth. "Hi!" It chirped. "My name's Tokomon." Sora blinked owlishly, before shaking her head. "They're popping up everywhere," she mumbled. Just then, Joe ran into the clearing, with another creature floating behind him. It resembled a baby seal with reddish-brown skin, a white stomach, a tuft of orange fur upon its head, and large gray eyes.

Matt rolled his eyes as Joe hid behind Tai. "Hey, lighten up Joe!" It chirped as it landed on Joe’s shoulder. "We're friends to the end," It smiled. "The name's Bukamon!" Joe squeaked before realizing something; Tai was standing on his own. The brunette gave him an amused look, but smiled slightly as he gave the barest of nods. "So," Sora mused. "All we're missing is that girl with the big pink hat." Tai snorted, but he looked amused, nonetheless, by Sora's statement. "Now, now," he teased. "Her name is Mimi." Before anyone could react, a terrified Mimi ran into the clearing. A little creature that resembled a green and tan onion bulb with solid brown eyes, was right behind her.

"Mimi!" Matt yelled as Tai suddenly stiffened. "It's alright!" But Mimi wasn't paying attention, she was crying from pure fear. What if it wasn't the bulb that was scaring her, but something else…?

ROAR!

Yipe!

A huge red beetle with massive pincers and intricate black markings, appeared behind the terrified girl; tearing up the forest. "Oh man!" Motimon squealed, covering his eyes. "That is one seriously bad Digimon, even when in a good mood!" Izzy gulped, eyes wide. "That's just great!" He whimpered. “Run for it!” Tai yelled, as everyone made a sound of agreement. Grabbing their new friends, the kids turned and high tailed it out of there. As the kids ran, Koromon noticed that something was wrong with Tai. The brunette was panting heavily, becoming rather pale; all-in-all, he wasn't looking too good.

"Woah!"

Matt yelped, barely skidding to a stop as the ground seemed to vanish. Hearing his cry, the other kids were barely able to stop themselves from going over the cliff. Tai was trembling, his legs felt weak and heavy. Tai grunted, a pained noise as his legs suddenly gave out. "Tai!" Koromon squealed, seeing the boy go down. Joe turned sharply, before cursing softly, catching Sora's attention. "Joe?" She called softly, but her eyes followed his gaze over to where Tai was. Sora was alarmed when she found him lying on the ground.

Meanwhile, Matt and Izzy were peering over the edge. "We'll have to turn back," Matt said, sounding grim. Izzy grimaced at that, mentally calculating the possible drop; at least eighty feet. From where he laid, Tai was tense; brown eyes remained locked on the forest. Koromon inched closer to Tai, his red eyes reflecting his worry. "Tai, is everything okay?" He asked quietly. Tai's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Kuwagamon…he's coming."

The tiny Digimon exchanged looks, determination shone through. They nodded to one another, before turning to their partners. "We have to fight Kuwagamon!" Koromon said, loudly. Tai's head swerved to him, brown eyes wide. "Are you crazy?!" He snapped, gesturing to the forest where Kuwagamon could easily be heard. "Koromon's right, though," Tsunomon announced. "It's alright, Davish," The blue one said softly, cuddling with the frightened boy. "Are you sure about this?" Izzy questioned. All of the Digimon nodded, shocking the kids. How could something as tiny as them take on someone like Kuwagamon?

Without warning, the tiny Digimon pulled away from their friends. To the shocked horror of the kids, an enraged Kuwagamon emerged from the forest. "Come back Tsunomon!" Matt yelled as TK cried for Tokomon to come back. "Motimon!" Izzy cried. "Be careful Tanemon!" Mimi called, tearfully. "Don't go, Bukamon!" Joe yelled. "Yokomon!" Sora cried. The fear that he had once felt so long ago, came surging back. Tai felt sick, and he couldn't help but scream. "KOROMON!"

DIGIVOLVE!

Koromon…digivolve to…Agumon!  
Demiveemon…digivolve to…Veemon!  
Tsunomon…digivolve to…Gabumon!  
Yokomon…digivolve to…Biyomon!  
Bukamon…digivolve to…Gomamon!  
Tanemon…digivolve to…Palmon!  
Motimon…digivolve to…Tentomon!  
Tokomon…digivolve to…Patamon!

"They…changed," Izzy gasped, sounding amazed. "I'll say," Sora breathed. Agumon resembled a small orange dinosaur with sharp white claws and large emerald eyes. Veemon was about the same size with deep blue skin, a white muzzle and stomach, human-like hands and sharp claws for feet, a small horn for a nose, a yellowing boomerang shone on his forehead and his eyes had taken on a more sharper tone.

Gabumon was slightly bigger, but more stocky. He was a yellow skinned reptile-like being with highly intelligent, dark red eyes. There was a periwinkle fur pelt that held dark blue stripes, laid across his back; strangely enough, the pelt's claws were shaded a deep magenta. A horn went through the pelt's forehead, sharp teeth and his underbelly was a sky blue with intricate pink markings. Biyomon was a pink bird with a blue tipped head feather, red tipped claw-like wings and talons, a thick silver bracelet adorned her right talon, and warm sapphire eyes. Gomamon now resembled a white seal with purple tribunal markings, sharp black nails adorned his fins, slightly sharp teeth, an orange Mohawk and large, light green eyes.

Palmon was a plant-like being with light green skin, a pink flower sprouted from her head, flat round-like hands with purple nails, and almond shaped forest green eyes. Tentomon resembled an armored ladybug with dark red skin, lime green spots and lime green eyes. Patamon was an orange guinea pig with a creamy belly, bat wings for ears, and large blue eyes.

Woah.

Agumon opened his mouth, red flames could be seen flickering. -"Pepper Breath!"- He spat out an impressive sized fireball, which slammed into Kuwagamon's face; causing the bigger Digimon to screech in pain. Gabumon opened his mouth as well, allowing ice blue flames to flicker ominously. -"Blue Blaster!"- He fired a thin stream of blue flames, which also struck Kuwagamon's face. -"Spiral Twister!"- Biyomon squawked, flying up. A swirl of green flames formed in front of her, before it was aimed and slammed into Kuwagamon's face.

Without warning, Kuwagamon's face burst into angry red flames; and boy, did he roar. -"Poison Ivy!"- Palmon's nails extended into long, thorny vines, which promptly latched onto one of Kuwagamon's arms. -"Boom Bubble!"- Patamon spat out a small air bubble, but it had little effect. Tentomon's 'Super Shocker' further enhanced the flames. Palmon smirked and gave a hard tug, just as Gomamon rolled underneath. Kuwagamon, still screeching, was sent stumbling back toward the forest. Cheering, they turned and ran back to a group of happy kids. However, not everyone was excited by their win.

Tai.

Agumon carefully helped Tai to his feet, allowing the boy to lean on him. Tai narrowed his eyes, once again tense. "For a bunch of little guys," Matt mused. "They sure are powerful." Sora nodded in agreement, smiling warmly at Biyomon. While the others congratulated their new friends, Tai's ears twitched; catching a familiar sound.

Crud.

"Get back!" Tai hissed as the kids looked up in confusion. They were greeted to the frightening sight of a burned, yet furious Kuwagamon. "It's that bug again!" Sora cried. "It's back!" As it turned to them, hissing loudly, it was Joe who uttered the dreadful words.

"Looks like this is it!"


	3. Seaside Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barely escaping from Kuawagmon, the kids find themselves traveling towards a beach where they discover a row of phone booths. Unfortunately for Tai, he gets an unexpected blast from the past.

Kuwagamon, whose face was burnt, was staggering towards them; screeching with absolute fury. Agumon grabbed Tai’s right arm, perhaps a bit rougher than he should have, and dragged the boy over to where the others had gathered. When Tai had yelled, the kids had scrambled back until they were at the cliff's edge. 

Nowhere to run.  
And nowhere to hide.

Joe was growing more and more hysterical by the minute; muttering loudly. Kuwagamon glared at the terrified children, and a sense of dread went through Tai. The beetle let out one last, horrifying screech before slamming a clawed hand down on the ground.

A low rumble.  
Uh-oh…

The ground trembled as a fissure formed from the sudden blow. The fissure was steadily making its way towards them at an alarming rate. Before any of them could even react, the cliff gave way; sending the terrified kids plummeting to the land below. "Sora!" Biyomon cried, flapping her wings frantically. She dug her talons into the poor girl's left arm, doing her best to slow down the fall. Tentomon was doing his best to keep a firm grip on Izzy, but his body wasn't equipped to handle situations like this. "I got you TK!" Patamon called, grabbing TK's backpack, causing the little boy to look up with wide eyes.

"If you got me, then who has you?!"

Unfortunately for the trio, their combined weight caused them to drop even faster. Thankfully, they were able to land in a river; but the water's temperature was threatening to send them into shock. Gomamon surfaced, knowing that he had to move fast.

-"Marching Fishes!"-

The kids yelped as dozens of colorful fishes abruptly lifted them up. "Ugh," Joe groaned, wrinkling his nose. "It smells like a fish market." The fishes guided them down the river and far from Kuwagamon, before dropping them on shore. Still somewhat shaken, the kids were shivering with their new friends fretting over them. Coughing harshly, Tai struggled to sit up. The years of being confined to a wheelchair and the most recent events were finally catching up to him.

Damn.

Gomamon could be seen waving at the fish, before cheerfully turning to the others. "Don't worry about it," He said warmly. "I just asked my friends for a lift." Joe blinked, before really inspecting Gomamon. "I guess that you're not Bukamon anymore, huh?" He asked curiously, tilting his head as he adjusted his glasses.

Gomamon shook his head.

"Nope," He said, popping the 'p'. "The name's Gomamon!" Izzy raised an eyebrow, looking rather curious. "I used to be Yokomon," Biyomon chirped. "Now I'm Biyomon." Sora couldn't believe that the little pink radish became a somewhat large pink bird. Matt looked at his partner with curious blue eyes.

"First, I was Tusnomon," Gabumon explained, his voice held a soft accent. "Now I am Gabumon." TK looked over at Patamon. "And you're not Tokomon, are you?" Patamon smiled slightly. "I'm Patamon now." Agumon gave a slight smile, showing some fangs. "It's all because we digivolved." Sora raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar term. "Digivolve?" She repeated. Realization dawned on Izzy. "Of course," he mused with thoughtful eyes. "Digivolving must mean that they advance to the next level, and become more powerful."

Tentomon nodded.

Davis glanced at Tai, before his eyes widen. Joe was startled when he felt a small tug on his hand. Looking down, Joe found Davis staring up at him with wide, yet worried, crimson eyes. "Davis, right?" Joe asked, a bit hesitant. The little boy nodded, and bit his lip. "Is everything alright?" Joe continued, before he realized that Davis wasn’t looking at him anymore.

What was…?

Oh.

Following Davis' gaze over to where Tai was, Joe frowned. He didn’t like how pale the younger boy was getting, nor the pained gasping. Shaking his head, Joe walked over and knelt down to a very embarrassed Tai Kamiya. The other kids turned, a bit surprised; if not curious. In fact, Tai's face colored slightly when Mimi spoke up in a somewhat loud voice.

"What's wrong with him?"

[How embarrassing…]

Seeing how red Tai was getting, Sora did him a favor and scolded Mimi for her rude behavior. Tai shot her a grateful look before turning to Joe with a fond, yet exasperated smile. "Joe," he said patiently as Joe's dark eyes scanned him for any signs of new injuries. "I'm fine, just a little tired." Joe raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptic look.

[Busted.]

Joe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dad said that you were stubborn," he muttered. "I should have believed him." Shaking it off, Joe gave Tai a rather stern look, and Tai ducked his head; rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "Tai," Joe began, catching the other's attention. "I wish that you wouldn't lie to me." Tai grimaced, but remained quiet. "Your muscles have been atrophying for years, and with what's been happening," Joe said quietly, his brows furrowing a bit. "And frankly, I'm amazed that you're even still conscious."

Ouch.

[Way to lay it on thick, Joe.]

"He must be in a lot of pain," Izzy murmured as he recalled Tai's earlier words. Matt glanced sharply at him before making his way over to where the two were.

E-eh?

Joe turned his head slightly, a bit surprised to find Matt walking towards them. Tai looked up, blinking owlishly when he saw Matt standing there. The blond knelt down, and Tai squeaked when Matt unexpectedly placed his arm around the brunette's waist while grabbing a hand and helped Tai to his feet.

Tai flushed.

"Thanks," he mumbled as Matt snorted, but he was amused nonetheless. "Well," Sora said, sounding awkward. There was a light pink tint to her cheeks, and she was doing her best not to look at the two. "We can't exactly go back the way we came."

What…?

Tai blinked, a faint scent had just caught his attention. If he listened hard enough, Tai thought he could hear the gentle lull of the ocean. Realizing that this shouldn't be possible, a silver of unease went through Tai. Gabumon sniffed slightly, his sensitive nose picking up on the scent of the salt sea air. "The ocean is nearby," He said softly and Joe looked relieved. "The beach, maybe there's a phone there that we can use to call someone." The digimon exchanged confused looks. "What's a phone?" Palmon wondered, looking at her fellow digimon who shrugged in return. Watching as the other kids cheered at the idea of visiting the beach, Tai frowned. Something about this whole idea felt wrong to him. Tai swallowed thickly, managing to keep his unease from showing. But oh, he hoped that he was wrong about this.

He really did.

.-.-.-.

Unknown to any of them, someone or something was watching them. The figure remained hidden by a set of bushes. Golden eyes remained focused on the seemingly injured brunette and they gave a small, fanged smile before disappearing.

Perfect.

.-.-.-.

Luckily, there was a safe path leading towards the beach. As they made their way down the path, Mimi couldn't resist her curiosity. "Palmon," She began as Palmon tilted her head. "Who does your hair?" Palmon blinked, before looking down shyly. "It's natural, I wake up like this." Mimi smiled, looking very cheerful.

"Well," Mimi said happily. "You must let me try a few things!" Despite being a plant, Palmon's face redden slightly. "Do you think that maybe you put a little too much emphasis on appearances?" Mimi blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly," She mused, looking thoughtful. "I never really thought about it." Palmon just shook her head with a faint smile. Matt glanced at Tai, and was relieved to see that he was doing better. Color was beginning to return and his breathing was slowly evening out. Tai's attention was immediately drawn to a cluster of trees, just at the edge of his vision. 

No way.

[Am I seeing things?]

Matt was curious, if not a bit worried when he felt Tai still. Realizing that Tai wasn't paying attention, Matt followed the brunette's gaze to a set of trees. "Tai," Matt said softly. "What are you looking at?" The blond couldn't see anything of interest. So, what was Tai staring at with such intensity?

Silence.

"Nothing," Tai said flatly. Matt looked like he didn't believe him, but knowing how stubborn Tai was; he kept quiet. Tai was relieved by this, but his attention remained on the trees. Oh, he knew what those trees were growing. He just couldn't believe it.

Meat apples.

.-.-.-.

"Finally!"

After what seemed like forever; it was really only about ten minutes, they arrived at a rather nice looking beach. Surprisingly enough, there was a group of phone booths lining the shore. Matt gently laid Tai down on a sand dune, and the digimon; along with Davis, crowded around the brunette. Sora went up to a booth, before realizing something. She turned back to the others, the phone in one hand. "Does anyone have any change?" Mimi and Izzy pulled out a similar looking card from their pockets. "You can just use my phone card," Mimi said cheerfully. "And the aliens can bill me," Izzy added.

Aliens?  
Seriously, Izzy?

The digimon watched as each kid went up to one of those weird box things; all but Tai, Davis and TK, that is. Tai and Davis were sitting on the beach while TK was splashing about in the water. Humans were weird, they decided. While the others attempted to use the phones, Tai found himself the center of attention.

Oh boy.

"Are you feeling better now, Tai?" Biyomon asked gently. Tai blinked, a bit taken back by her sudden concern. He gave a slight nod, feeling a bit numb. "What were you looking at before?" Gomamon asked curiously. He absentmindedly glanced over at Joe, before turning back to Tai.

Um…

Tai blinked owlishly, as if unsure. "Gomamon’s right," Tentomon agreed. "You were looking at something pretty intensely." Damn, he didn't realize that they were that observant.

Sigh.

"I saw a fruit tree," He admitted as Davis perked up. "And knowing the others," Tai continued; glancing briefly at the other kids. "They're bound to get hungry." Understanding dawned on the digimon. "You want one of us to get this fruit, don't you?" Palmon tried as Tai shifted; feeling a bit embarrassed.

A nod.

"I can get some for you," Agumon piped up. "And I can help," Veemon added. Tai stared at them before snorting. He drew an image in the sand, showing them what the fruit looked like. "It'll be a similar color to Palmon's skin," Tai pointed out. Suddenly, Tai pulled off his jacket before handing it to Agumon. "You can use this to gather them up." Tai gave them a pointed look. "Try to gather as much as you can." The two nodded and took off for the woods. Hopefully, they wouldn't be long. Turning back around, Tai caught sight of the other kids slamming the phones down in disgust. Something was obviously wrong; otherwise they wouldn't look so annoyed. Grumbling, the kids, save for Joe, joined Tai on the beach. Tai raised an eyebrow as Sora huffed upon sitting. "I take it that things didn't work out?" He asked lightly.

Sora scowled.

"What do you think?" She snapped as he frowned slightly. Sora may have been frustrated by the useless phones, but that did not give her the right to take her anger out on him. Izzy, on the other hand, was watching Joe with confusion. "What's with Joe?" He asked curiously.

Tai followed his gaze, before sighing.

"Knowing Joe?" He said tiredly. "He's probably hoping that at least one phone works." Izzy scoffed, knowing that was impossible to achieve. After a while, Sora felt her stomach growl, and the poor girl turned red. "Does anyone have any food?" She asked, a bit sheepish. "I think all I have is…huh?" Sora trailed off as she reached for her back pocket. To her shock, her hand wrapped around a small device. Pulling it into view, Sora saw that it was that weird gadget that fell from the skies at camp. "That's weird," she murmured. "It's that gadget that fell from the skies." Only TK, Mimi, Izzy and Joe's device was attached to the strap of their respective bags. The others, minus Tai, found theirs strapped to their waist.

Eh?

Looking down, Tai was surprised to find that he was now sporting a glove on his right hand. The glove was fingerless; reaching a bit passed his wrist. It was made from an unknown, yet sturdy material; a glossy black trimmed in crimson red. Embedded on the palm was a small screen trimmed in silver with two silver buttons.

[How did I miss that?]

Tai blinked owlishly, feeling a bit uneasy. When a few glanced his way, Tai silently cursed for giving up his jacket to Agumon. During the earlier commotion, Tai had forgotten about his scars. Without his jacket, Tai's burnt flesh was clearly visible. The burns went across his shoulders, partially down his arms, and across his entire back.

Wait a minute…

[What was that?]

Unease growing, Tai stiffened. His instincts were screaming at him to run, that something dangerous was nearby. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of his unease. All Tai could do, was sense the malicious intent of two separate beings.

What to do…

Feeling Tai's agitation, Davis looked up with wide eyes. Realizing that something was wrong, Matt; who was the closest, looked at Tai with worried blue eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked softly. "Don't react," Tai warned. "But we're being watched."

"What?!" Mimi shrieked.  
Oh no…

Tai's head turned slightly towards the phone booths and cursed loudly when he felt something being aimed in Joe's direction. Getting to his feet, and upon ignoring the pain, ran towards the oblivious boy. "Joe!" He yelled.

"Look out!"  
…huh?

Joe looked up, just as the ground began to tremble. As Tai raced forward, a pillar of water burst from under a booth. The booth flew into the air, crashing a few feet away from the horrified group. Finally reaching Joe, Tai yanked the startled boy back; and just in time, too. Just as the two fell back, the phone booth that Joe had been using was sent flying. Joe was very pale as he realized just how close he had come to getting hurt. "Thanks," He got out, wheezing from the sudden shock. Tai didn't answer; instead, his attention was focused on the ocean. 

A soft beep.  
Eh?

Tai glanced at the glove's screen, a bit surprised to find it glowing softly; a name popping up. "I hate being right," He mumbled, catching Joe's attention.

Another beep.  
What the—?

[Why me?]

Without warning, a stream of emerald green flames came barreling out of nowhere; sending up a wall at the forest entrance. At the same time, right where the phones had stood; the ground exploded as a massive, blue hermit crabs shell rose up. Something pink slithered out, slamming down; revealing itself to be arms as a large, pink dinosaur head popped out. Strange, green tentacles squirmed around its head as icy blue eyes glared at them. "That's Shellmon!" Biyomon chirped, sounding a bit alarmed. "What's he doing here?" Shellmon appeared to be focusing intensely on Tai, much to the boy's unease. If anything, the overgrown crab was smirking, before lowering its head slightly. Despite the tentacles, a wrinkly hole could be seen in his head.

Ugh.

Before anyone could even react, Shellmon sent a stream of pressurized water straight at Tai. The poor boy yelped as the water slammed into him; sending him careening towards the flaming wall. Faintly, he thought he heard a crack; but he couldn’t be sure about it. Tai was also aware of the others shouting for him, but knew that none of them would be able to make it in time.

[I'm screwed.]

A black blur darted through the flames, slamming into Tai and knocking the boy back a bit. Tai groaned, coughing harshly as his chest burned from the double impact. No doubt about it, some of his ribs was fractured as it was getting harder for him to breathe. "If anyone is going to kill you," a low voice growled. "It will be me."

Oh shit. 

Tai's eyes snapped open and he found himself staring up into a familiar face. If he had been standing, this creep would be just a bit taller than him. They had the body of a large black wolf; and instead of fur, there was a set of armor, a bit of dark auburn lined the chin and hind legs. There was an armored helmet on each shoulder in the shape of a canine's head. Right above each paw, was a set of razor sharp blades. Strangely enough, silver hair could be seen from under its helmet. 

Golden eyes glittered.

Ceberumon.

Tai winced as Ceberumon placed a paw on his chest, pressing down a bit. He wondered if this was the same Ceberumon as from before. Looking up into those hateful golden eyes; somehow, he knew that it was the same one.

[Again, why me?]

"I'm so going to enjoy this," Ceberumon growled as he opened his muzzle. Tai winced as emerald flames started to flicker there. "Oh, no you won't!" A heavily accented voice shouted, sounding rather angry.

-"Roundhouse Punt!"-

Ceberumon yelped as something slammed into his side; pushing him back several feet. Tai coughed, nearly gagging on the sand as the dog demon was thrown off. Nonetheless, he was relieved to breathe properly.

Those voices…

[It can't be?!]

Still coughing, Tai managed to push himself up. He couldn't believe who it was. This was definitely a blast from the past, a fact that left Tai uncomfortable. The one who had knocked Ceberumon back was a weirdly shaped robot with razor sharp teeth, and glowing yellow eyes. Their body was a creamy brown with intricate markings.

Arbormon.

His companion greatly resembled what many would call a goblin. They were short and stocky, somewhat pudgy arms, a bulbous nose, pointed ears and sharp teeth. Their skin was a light brown, with dark red markings burned into their arms and nose. They wore a ratty red shirt and pants, as well as brown shoes and an oversized reddish-brown cap; where dark brown hair could be seen. Spiked, dark purple armor lined the shoulders, a partial breast plate, the knees and partially their shoes. There was a symbol burned into their breast plate.

Grumblemon.

[I'm seeing things…]  
[I have to be!]

Rubbing at his eyes, Tai turned his head slightly to the others. The brunette was wondering who was taking care of Shellmon, and his eyes widen as his mouth dropped at the sight.

[You have got to be kidding me!]

While Ceberumon had been taunting him, Shellmon had blasted the others; separating the kids from their partners. And who should be keeping Shellmon from killing them…? Only two beings that he knew all too well. Keeping Shellmon back was a pretty looking sea nymph. Her skin was a light sea green, fins in the place of ears and fins at her sides, and startling red eyes. She wore a rather revealing, sky blue swimsuit with an armored helmet and gauntlets, and silver blue bands around her ankles.

Ranamon.

Standing protectively over the down kids was, well…her companion was a little hard to explain. They were clad from head to toe in armor of various green shading; their helmet resembling a three-pointed star. Strangely enough, there was a mirror in the place of their face and one inside their chest. Last but not least, their shields held a mirror like quality to them.

Mercurymon.

With what happened next, couldn't be helped. Tai felt his heart race as his body grew weaker. Without warning, Tai's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed back onto the sand; completely oblivious to the world.


	4. A Brief Glimpse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little glimpse of the past

Darkness.  
That's all I know.  
Why must I be alone?

.-.-.-.

Teal colored eyes shone softly as the owner lost themselves in thought. They had been watching over the land, when a soft plea reached them. The plea was full of such grief and loneliness; so much so, that it hurt. They wanted to help this soul, but how to do so?

Unless...?  
Yes, yes that could work.

Hopefully.


	5. A Fiery Comeback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Shellmon and Ceberumon overwhelming them, Mercurymon realizes something terrible. He and his companions have been weakened from being sealed, and were no stronger than the rookies. Their strength failing, and Tai unconscious, were they even going to survive this?

"Tai!" 

Joe panicked when Tai's eyes rolled back; the younger boy having passed out. He was about to run over when he heard something that not only got his attention; but made him suspicious as well. A large teardrop appeared on the back of the robot's head, and the goblin like creature shook his head. "Me no blame him," The goblin muttered as the robot snorted in agreement. "Well, we did try to kill him, you know," He pointed out.

Wait…what?

Joe's eyes narrowed slightly; frowning deeply.

Without warning, the sea nymph was sent flying; thanks to Shellmon, and she slammed into the metal man. The collision earned a pained yelp from them; and unfortunately, for the kids that is, the two were sent in the opposite direction. Only Gabumon and Gomamon could hear the two. "Ah am so sorry, Mercurymon," The nymph apologized; her voice thick with an unknown accent. The metal man; Mercurymon, simply waved it off. Surprisingly enough, it was the goblin who realized that something was wrong. "Me no understand," he said loudly. "Why we no win?" The sickening realization dawned on Mercurymon, and he cursed; earning a shocked look from the nymph. "Since we were just released," He said slowly; his voice silkily smooth. "Our strength is not where it used to be." Mercurymon glanced uneasily at his companions. "We're no stronger than the rookies now." The nymph blanched, her skin turning several shades lighter. The other two, on the other hand; swallowed thickly, slowly turning to Shellmon and Ceberumon.

Oh hell.

.-.-.-.

While the kids were left to deal with Shellmon and Ceberumon, Agumon and Veemon had finally found the tree that held the fruit that Tai had described. Veemon looked up, shielding his eyes as he squinted. The tree was fairly tall, and neither of them was built for climbing. 'Damn', Veemon thought, lowering his hand as he exchanged looks with Agumon. As if sensing his thoughts, Agumon dropped the jacket; huffing slightly. Veemon saw that Agumon's green eyes were dim, and he knew that something was bothering the dino. "You okay?" He asked softly. Surprisingly enough, he didn't have a lisp (thank the Sovereigns for that!).

Agumon looked up, surprised by the sudden question. Am I that obvious? He wondered, before wincing at the dangerous look that he was given. Sighing, Agumon looked away as he spoke. "I'm just worried," He mumbled. Realization dawned on Veemon, as he blinked.

"About Tai?"  
Agumon nodded. 

"Don't be," Veemon said quietly. Agumon looked up sharply, eyes narrowed. "Tai seems like a strong kid." Agumon frowned, somehow knowing that Veemon was right. 'But still', he thought. 'I can't help but worry.'

A loud explosion.  
What the–?

The two snapped to attention; startled by the sudden noise. "What was that?" Veemon demanded; well, squeaked really. Agumon's eyes widen slightly as he turned towards the direction from where they had come. "It…it came from the beach," He stammered, swallowing thickly.

Oh no…the kids!

.-.-.-.

"Matt," TK whimpered.  
"I'm scared."

Matt gripped his brother tightly; blue eyes uneasy. "What do we do now?" He hissed, his voice low. Sora swallowed thickly, eyes wide and face pale. "I-I don't know," She stammered. Izzy, on the other hand, was scanning everything; attempting to come up with a plan. But, his mind came up blank.

Eh?

Izzy noticed that Mercurymon and his companions were focusing on the fiery wall. Following their gaze, Izzy's dark eyes widen slightly. 'No way!' His mind yelled. 'This should be impossible!'

.-.-.-.

Running through the woods, desperate to reach the beach; were Agumon and Veemon. Without warning, Agumon came to an abrupt halt; green eyes wide. "Did you feel that?" He demanded, awe coloring his voice. Veemon couldn't answer, as the poor dragon was trembling.

Power.  
And a lot of it.

.-.-.-.

"Guys," Izzy said slowly, catching their attention. "We've got bigger problems." Joe raised an eyebrow, suddenly uneasy. "What are you talking about?" He asked nervously. Izzy simply pointed to the flaming wall; sending a wave of unease through them. As they followed his gaze, a wave of something washed over them. Unfortunately, their partners were left trembling; unable to even move. The fire appeared to be shrinking; reducing its mass, slowly taking on the shape of something else, something small. Izzy squinted slightly, realizing that it was some sort of statue. His curiosity grew when the black dog growled; the rage clearly visible.

Interesting.

The statue flew over to Tai, hovering over the unconscious boy. Unknown to anyone, the screen upon Tai's glove lit up with an eerie symbol. Before anyone could even react, the statue disappeared; having been absorbed by the glove.

Then all hell broke loose.

Ribbons of pure data; which shocked Izzy, wrapped around Tai. Seconds later, fire exploded around him; spiraling into the skies. Mercurymon and his companions looked oddly smug. "You in trouble now!" The goblin said cheerfully, mocking both Shellmon and the dog. "Glad it's not us," The robot muttered. "What's happening?" Matt demanded, frantic with worry. It was the nymph who answered him. "He's back," She breathed, her red eyes locked on the fire pillar. The kids exchanged uneasy looks. "Who?" Mimi squeaked.

"Agunimon."


	6. Troubling Outcomes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agunimon has awakened once more, and he isn't exactly happy, either. Displaying an unusual amount of power, Ranamon is right about one thing. Something was up with the fiery Digimon, and Mercurymon wasn't sure if he wanted to know what it was.

Agumon and Veemon snapped out of their daze, just as a stream of red hot flames shot into the skies. Oh Sovereign, they could feel the heat from where they were. And somehow, Agumon knew that Tai was involved.

'Why am I getting such a bad feeling about this?'

.-.-.-.

Despite the blazing inferno, only the Digimon could see that Tai’s form was beginning to change shape. Seeing this left the rookies confused, if not a little worried. Mercurymon and his companions, on the other hand, were not. If anything, they were pleased. Oh, they knew who Tai really was; and they wondered what had happened to him after the sealing. Before anyone could even react, the flames abruptly vanished; revealing not Tai, but a Digimon. Sadly, a Digimon that was unknown to the rookies. So, was this odd Digimon Agunimon?

The Digimon; Agunimon, was tall, very tall. Roughly six feet in height, Agunimon was a humanoid with a slender, yet muscular frame. He was almost entirely human, if not for a couple of unusual features. Needle sharp fangs overlapped his upper lip, and he had some rather nasty looking talons for feet. What skin could be seen, was a warm peach color; although, there were some orange slashes marring his face, two on each cheek. 

And his eyes…?

They were downright creepy.  
An empty, soulless blue-green.

His armor was quite fascinating, to be honest. A black bodysuit with a thin layer of white armor (the breastplate), while the remaining armor shone a deep red with a golden trim. An armored vest complete with shoulder pads (which held a single black spike), gauntlets with a thick silver band around the wrists, thigh and shin guards, and armored boots. Looped around his waist, was a metal belt which held a single ruby as a buckle; a strange symbol having been burned into it. And despite his helmet; which was in the shape of a dragon's head, you could see a thick mane of golden blond hair.

Izzy noticed that there was something off about Agunimon's armor; dozens of small holes that were cluttered in groups of three. There was a set on each shoulder; just barely hidden by the shoulder pads, a set on each metal band of the gauntlets, another on each shin guard, and of course, a set on each boot.

How odd.

Agunimon's eyes scanned the area, taking in the sight of the frightened kids and rookies; seemingly dismissing them. However, those empty eyes harden slightly as they landed on Mercurymon; leaving Izzy highly curious, not to mention suspicious. Then, Agunimon's eyes narrowed dangerously upon seeing Shellmon and the dog.

Uh-oh…

Agunimon wasn't just annoyed.  
He was downright pissed.

.-.-.-.

Agumon and Veemon had just arrived at the edge of the woods; and they could see that the beach was just ahead. It was Veemon who sensed it after seeing the strip of glass that laid between the woods and the beach. He grabbed Agumon's shoulder, and shook his head; before pointing to the glass. Realization dawned on Agumon, and the two hid in some nearby bushes. Thankfully, they could still see what was happening. The two saw a nymph, a metal man, a wooden robot, a goblin, Shellmon and a black dog. Their attention was immediately drawn to the tall, armored Digimon.

"Who is that?" Agumon wondered.

.-.-.-.

Without warning, the temperatures dropped as the air grew thick and heavy. The nymph shivered her red eyes wide with fear. "What's going on, Mercurymon?" She asked nervously. "Agunimon's never had this kind of power before."

"I don't know," Mercurymon admitted.

Before anyone could blink, Agunimon vanished; only to reappear behind a very confused Shellmon. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, to the horror of the kids, Shellmon burst into colorful bits pf data; dispersing into nothingness.

Oh god…

'How could he do something like that?!' Sora raged, trembling from such a cruel sight. Agunimon then turned his attention on the dog; his eyes cold. The dog was growling, glaring at Agunimon with pure hatred. "I'll destroy you and rip that spirit!" Agunimon's eyes widen as a dark hole suddenly appeared underneath him; and he sank into the darkness. The dog then dove into another one, and vanished. They could hear what sounded like fighting, but they couldn't see anything. Then, to their surprise, the ground erupted with a blazing inferno. Moments later, the dog was sent flying as Agunimon leapt from the inferno; delivering a vicious kick to the dog’s ribs. The inferno dispersed, but Agunimon’s right fist burst into flames; forming into a simple, yet deadly blade. 

Agunimon then bisected the dog.

However, unlike Shellmon; who had burst into data bits, a single strand of data circled the dog. The rookies shivered as the strand was absorbed by Agunimon. There was literally nothing left. The flaming sword was then reabsorbed by Agunimon, who then turned to the weary group. He took but a single step, and the nymph was up and running; and just in time, too. Agunimon's eyes rolled back and he was engulfed by ribbons of data. The data dispersed, and an exhausted Tai fell into her arms. Hazy eyes stared up at her, blinking slowly. The familiar symbol that was fire was flashing ominously on his glove's screen. And unknown to anyone, the same symbol was flickering over his heart. With a soft sigh, Tai slipped into blissful unconsciousness once more.


	7. Yuki Ookami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tai's out cold, leaving the other kids lost and unsure. Thankfully, they are able to find a trolley to hide in for the night. But, are they as alone as they think?

Ranamon ran her fingers through Tai's thick hair, humming softly as she cradled him. She tensed when she heard footsteps, but relaxed when she saw that it was only her fellow warriors. "The kid okay?" Arbormon asked, his voice soft. The nymph's red eyes scanned the young boy carefully, before softening. "He's fine," She said softly. "Just drained of energy," Ranamon murmured. Blinking owlishly, Ranamon looked up as Mercurymon knelt down next to her, and gently took Tai's left arm; carefully inspecting the glove. Recognizing it to be a new, more advanced form of a digivice; he sighed at the sight of the chains flashing on the screen.

"Tis a lesson, I see."

Mercurymon stood back up, before eyeing the other children. This was a different group than before, and he did wonder what had happened to Takuya and the others. But somehow, he sensed that particular knowledge was not meant to be known; yet, anyway. His eyes then landed on the only boy with blue hair, a boy whose gaze never left Takuya's. "You there," He said sharply, as the boy blinked, before pointing to himself. Mercurymon nodded, doing his best to keep his face expressionless. "Are you a healer?"

Joe blinked owlishly, pointing at himself when the metal man spoke. "My family is made of doctors," He said slowly, ignoring the hisses from Matt to keep quiet. "My dad is Tai's personal doctor," Joe said quietly, his eyes traveling from the metal man to his unconscious friend. The metal man inspected him, before looking to his companions. His companions seemed to understand what he was telling them, and they appeared to be rather reluctant. The goblin frowned, before sending a dark look to the kids. "You no hurt fire child!" He snapped. His body suddenly glowed a soft brown, before his form shrank and the light shot into the screen on Tai's glove. The symbol that had been on his belt, flashed on the screen, before vanishing.

"He's right," The robot muttered. It turned to the kids, yellow eyes cold. "The kid had better be safe," It growled. Like the goblin, the robot's body glowed a slightly darker shade of brown; the form shrinking before the light dove into the screen on Tai's glove. A strange symbol flashing on the screen, before it too, vanished. The nymph sighed, gently lowering Tai onto the sand, her red eyes soft. "He's suffered enough," She said softly, before her eyes harden as she glared at the kids. "So, don't you dare hurt him!" She hissed. Her body glowed a soft shade of blue, before her form shrank and the light dove into the screen. A strange symbol flashing on the screen, before vanishing. 

"Otherwise, you'll be dealing with all of us," The metal man said coldly. His form glowed a soft silver, before shrinking as the light dove into the screen. Again, a strange symbol flashed on the screen, before vanishing. As the metal man vanished, Joe hurried over to where Tai was, checking him over for any injuries. After awhile, the other kids joined him; still confused and lost by what had happened. How had this Agunimon possessed Tai? Why did Agunimon tear Shellmon apart like that? And what on earth did the nymph mean by her ominous words?

"How's Tai doing?" Sora asked, as Joe leaned back. "He appears to be fine," Joe murmured. "And as far as I can tell, he's just drained." Matt frowned, his blue eyes thoughtful. "You think it has anything to do with that Agunimon character?" He asked, curious. Izzy was silent, as he pondered over the recent and frightening events. "I'm not sure," Izzy muttered. He hated not knowing anything, especially if it could affect him or the others. Davis tugged on Joe's hand, earning a curious look from the older boy. The redhead looked over at the ocean with unease, before looking back up at Joe, who quickly understood. "It's too dangerous to stay here," He said calmly. "We need to move on." The other kids exchanged looks, before realizing that Joe was right.

Who knows what was lurking in those waters?

As if realizing something, Sora turned to Agumon and Veemon; both who had been missing during the encounter. Both Digimon looked tired, as if they had done a serious run; and she had the feeling that they had. "Where were you two?" She asked curiously as the other kids, minus Davis, turned to the two Digimon. Agumon and Veemon flinched, exchanging uneasy looks, before they came to a silent agreement. "Sorry about that," Agumon said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a claw. "But Tai had seen something and sent us to get it," He continued. "What was it that he wanted you to get?" Izzy questioned. "Some kind of fruit tree," Veemon explained. "But neither of us are really built for climbing," He admitted. 

"I can help them get the fruit," Mimi piped up as everyone stared at her. "What?" She huffed, crossing her arms. "I take gymnastic classes on the weekends." Sora blinked, raising an eyebrow. While it was an interesting bit of info, was Mimi really volunteering for some physical work? "You sure about this?" Sora asked, sounding skeptic and was stunned when Mimi nodded. "It's not far from here, is it?" Mimi asked the two Digimon who shook their heads. "No, it's just down the path that we took to get here." Agumon pointed out. Mimi gave a cheerful smile as she looked to the others. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon," She said happily and followed the two down the path to where the fruit tree was. 

"Guess we wait."

.-.-.-.

[Where am I?]

I looked around, feeling confused. The last thing I remembered, was having Ceberumon’s paws pressing down on my chest; then nothing at all. My chest suddenly burned, and I grimaced, reaching up to the source; which was my heart, the area was rather tender.

"Child…"  
…huh?

I turned slightly, shocked by the sight of Mercurymon, Ranamon, Arbormon and Grumblemon. Staring at the ones who had once been corrupted, the memories came crashing back. That's right, seeing them had sent me into shock and with everything that had happened today, no wonder I passed out.

[But, why am I getting a bad feeling?]

"Kid, what happened back there?" Arbormon asked, his voice somewhat gruff. "Me no understand you," Grumblemon said, sounding confused. "Why you look different?" Ranamon and Mercurymon frowned. "I too, am curious as to why you look so different," Mercurymon mused. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I looked away, my eyes turned upward.

How am I supposed to answer that one?

/"Not yet."/

Eh?

It appeared that I wasn't the only one who was confused by the sudden, yet deep, echo. The voice had spoken clearly, and sounded so sure of himself. Yes, the voice was definitely male. But, I did not recognize the voice, and neither did the former corrupted warriors. We could only watch, shocked by what was happening. There was no one there, but we could feel a presence around us. I don't know about the others, but this presence felt warm and comforting, familiar even. Right before our very eyes, deep red-gold flames flared around us, rising higher with every passing moment. And I swore that I could see something within the flames, it looked like a…dragon?

/"Time to wake up, little one."/

.-.-.-.

It took Mimi, Agumon and Veemon about ten to fifteen minutes to return; carrying a large amount of what looked like granny smith apples. "We're back," Mimi said cheerfully. "There were sure a lot of these on those trees back there," Agumon mused, a small handful of apples being held in his arms. Veemon was using Tai's jacket to hold some, and Mimi was using her bag for the rest of the apples, as well as carrying a few in her arms. "Wonder what kind of apples these are?" Izzy mused, taking a closer look at the fruit. They looked like ordinary apples, but after the phone booth incident, Izzy wasn't so sure about trusting appearances right now. "Guess we can move on now," Matt muttered. The others soon agreed, as it became known that anyone or anything could be watching them right now. Joe reached down and gently lifted Tai up, making sure that the boy was leaning against him. He was worried about Tai, but until they were in a safer area, there really wasn't much that he could do. 

"Let's get out of here," Joe said grimly.

.-.-.-.

It took the group until early evening for them to find a safe spot. There was a small island where a trolley could be seen. The trolley would be able to provide some form of shelter. Relieved, exhausted and hungry, the kids set up camp. Joe laid Tai down near the trolley, and he then proceeded to do a more thorough check of any possible injuries. Thankfully, there were none; he was simply drained. While this was happening, Sora and Matt were building a fire, and Mimi, Agumon and Veemon were carefully setting up the fruit, Izzy was lost in thought, TK was simply playing with Patamon, while a nervous Davis lingered near Tai and Joe. It wasn't long, before Matt and Sora had a warm fire blazing. Seeing this, and realizing that Tai was starting to grow cold, Joe made sure to move Tai closer to the fire. 

Now, if only he would wake up… 

"Hngh…"

Hearing the soft, pained groan, the kids looked up, as if startled. Davis was relieved when Tai started to move his head, a weak hand reaching up as his hazy eyes slowly opened. The little redhead was soon by Tai's side, tears prickling at his eyes as the older boy finally regained consciousness. "Thank god that you're awake," Joe said softly as the brunette managed to turn his head in Joe's direction. "You really had me worried." Tai grimaced, as he strained to sit up, his body still weakened by the earlier events; not that he remembered. "What…" Tai rasped, coughing a bit as his throat burned. "What happened…?" Joe stiffened, before turning wide eyes on the still weakened boy. "Y-you mean, that you don't remember?!" Tai winced, the shocked yell causing his ears to burst from pain. "Would I be asking, if I didn’t?"

Er…

Seeing that Tai was awake, Izzy knew that this was his one chance to slate his curiosity. "Tai," He began as the brunette turned his way. "You had Agumon and Veemon get some fruit." Izzy picked up said fruit, and held it out. "But, I've never seen apples like this before." The apples, while resembling the classic Granny Smith, it was bigger and plumper than normal. Tai raised an eyebrow, before a slight smile crossed his lips. "Here," Tai held out a hand, and Izzy realized what the older boy wanted and handed over the fruit. Tai looked around, before spotting a small branch.

He took the branch and pierced the fruit, catching everyone's attention. Tai then held the apple over the fire, before taking the chance to explain. "You don't eat them raw," He pointed out. "You cook them." After a few minutes, he tested the apple and smiled, seeing that it was nice and tender. He then carefully removed the fruit and held it out to Davis, who blinked owlishly. "It's okay, Davis," Tai assured him. Davis was hesitant, but he did trust Tai, and reached out for the now warmed fruit. He bit into it, and his eyes lit up as the taste of fried chicken flooded his mouth. Tai chuckled, seeing the delight in the little redhead's eyes. "Good?" Davis nodded happily, his eyes bright as a smile graced his lips.

Looking back up, Tai saw their surprised expressions. "They're meat apples," He explained. "You just need to cook them for a few minutes, and you're good to go." Blinking, he suddenly remembered something important. "Oh, and try not to eat too many!" He scolded as he proceeded to cook one for himself. Joe and Izzy both turned green when they realized what Tai was hinting at. Ugh, no one needed to deal with a smell that bad, especially since they would share the trolley for the night. The others went and started cooking apples for themselves, well, Matt cooked them for both himself and TK.

Everyone was surprised when different types of meat flooded their mouths. "Hm, barbeque chicken," Sora hummed. "I got grilled salmon," Mimi said happily. Well, fish was technically a type of meat. "I got prime rib," Izzy said, startled. "Steak here," Matt and Joe piped up. "I have fried chicken," TK squealed. Thankfully, the kids didn't eat too many, and were soon full from the meat apples and the other fruits that had been gathered. It wasn't long before exhaustion settled in, and the kids were turning in for the night. Tai was still weakened from earlier, so he chose to remain by the fire. Matt volunteered to take first watch, and assured Joe that he would keep an eye on Tai. Joe reluctantly agreed to the deal and went inside the trolley for the others.

As the others fell asleep, Matt sat near Tai, with Gabumon keeping an eye on the two. "You feeling okay?" The blonde asked quietly, as Tai raised an eyebrow. He was exhausted and just those few movements, had drained what little energy that he had. And Tai knew that he was on the verge of passing out again. 

"You don't want to know," Tai muttered.

The blonde was quiet, but knew the truth. Tai didn't have to say anything, Matt could see the exhaustion shining in his brown eyes; it also didn't help that Tai was somewhat pale and shaky. Assuming that his music would help, Matt reached into his pocket to pull out his harmonica, when Tai's hand lashed out, and grabbed his wrist; his grasp strangely tight. "Tai…?" Matt whispered, turning his head. The blonde was surprised when Tai, despite being pale, his eyes were narrowed, and focused intensely on the waters. "Quiet!" Tai hissed, his eyes never leaving the waters. "We're not alone," He continued, voice sharp. 

What?

Tai's honey brown eyes were scanning the surrounding area. His instincts were on high alert, and everything was telling him that someone or something was watching them with hate. Tai shuddered as the malice washed over him. Oh, if only he could tell where it was coming from!

SNAP

[What was that?]

Tai turned sharply, only to turn white. There, lying directly next to the fire, was a large and seemingly pointed red leaf. But, Tai knew better. In reality, that so-called 'leaf', was the tail of a Digimon.

SCREECH

Oh hell.

The kids, having been awoken by the furious screeching, ran out of the trolley. There was another angry screech as the Digimon in question, rose up from the water, the tail reflecting a now ugly burn. The rookies gulped, recognizing the furious Digimon.

Seadramon.

Seadramon was a large blue-green serpent with red stripes lining the body, a pointed red tail and slitted pale blue eyes. There was a golden, armored helmet over the head, which was adorned with fins in the place of ears. "That's Seadramon," Biyomon said, her voice nervous. "But, why's he so angry?" Patamon asked, squeaking. Joe looked to where Tai and Matt were, and saw the fire still blazing, and realization dawned on him. "The fire," He whispered, catching their attention. "The fire has something to do with it!" Seadramon glared down at them with murderous, slitted blue eyes. He was passed being angry, he was downright pissed. Letting out another screech, he gave a sharp tug, and the kids yelped as the little island was ripped away, and dragged out into the middle of the lake. Moments later, Seadramon dove back underwater.

[Where is he?!]

Tai looked around frantically, he couldn't see nor sense Seadramon anywhere. This wasn’t good, the bloody snake could pop up anywhere, and there was no way that they could fight off a champion; not with how exhausted everyone was. 

…huh?

Feeling something coming from behind them, Tai whirled around, only to watch in horror as Seadramon's tail wrapped around a startled Matt's waist. "Matt!" He screamed, but it was too late. The kids could only watched, stunned as Matt was dragged into the waters. TK burst into hysterical tears; wailing his lungs out. Underneath the waters, Matt struggled to free himself, as he could feel his chest burn. He couldn't believe that this was happening. Was he really going to die here?! Unfortunately, his struggles were of no use. Seadramon just tightened his grasp over Matt, and he lost the will to hold his breath; his mouth automatically opening. 

That did it.

Matt's Digivice lit up with bright light, and up on shore, Gabumon felt strength flooding him. The small Digimon got to his feet and dove into the waters, just as a warm blue light, wrapped around him. Tai realized that, somehow, Gabumon was digivolving…

Gabumon…digivolve to…Garurumon!

Gabumon's new form was a very large wolf. His fur was a mixture of soft blue and gray with jagged, dark blue stripes (much like a tiger’s stripes). Bits of his fur was more spiky, with a double split tail and reddish-brown eyes. His claws ended in sharp dark magenta nails. Garurumon was furious as he swam through the waters, his much stronger form making it easier to swim. He could see that half way down the bottom, he found Matt limp in Seadramon's grasp; tiny bubbles were leaving his mouth. This meant that he was still alive, if barely. Garurumon knew that he didn’t have much time.

He savagely bit down on Seadramon's tail, causing the snake to screech and inadvertently releasing his hold on Matt. Garurumon immediately let go and carefully grabbed Matt by his collar and swam frantically for the surface. The two surfaced with a pained gasp, and Gaururmon hurriedly brought Matt back to shore. Joe hurried over, and dragged the blonde over to the fire, just as Matt started coughing violently. Ignoring his own pain, Tai scrambled to his feet, hurrying over and carefully whacked Matt on the back; much to everyone's shock. Moments later, Matt was heaving; water dripping from his mouth as he got the water out of his lungs. Tai's attention was drawn back to Gaururmon, who was focused on the waters. That's right, Seadramon was still down there; furious with the unsuspecting kids. Without warning, Seadramon surfaced with a furious screech. The serpent's mouth was opening, and they could see an icy mist flaring around the opened jaw.

Not good.

-"Ice Blast!"-

As Seadramon opened his mouth, Garurumon had also opened up his mouth; blue flames swirling ominously. Tai looked between the two Digimon, before smirking; silently egging the wolf on. 

-"Howling Blaster!"-

The two beams; one of ice, the other of flames, collided with each other. The collision lit up the area, momentarily blinding everyone. Through the blazing light, Tai sensed that Seadramon was retreating; obviously not happy with the event. He was glad about this. The light slowly faded, revealing that Seadramon was nowhere to be seen. Matt, who had regained his senses, turned and was startled to see Garurumon's form. He had never seen such a wolf before, and was amazed when Garurumon's form was surrounded by light, before shrinking back into Gabumon.

Wow.

Flushing at their looks, a shy Gabumon went up to Matt. "Are you okay, Matt?" He asked, his voice soft. Matt nodded numbly, before smiling slightly. "Thanks for saving my life," He whispered. Gabumon blinked before smiling.

"You're welcome."


	8. The Phoenix of Rebirth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids abandoned the site where Seadramon had attacked them; hoping to find a safe place and they're still looking for a way back home. Coming to a Yokomon village on Biyomon's suggestion, the kids are starting to realize just how deep their situation went. There' no time to think, as a new opponent makes his way towards the gang. Looks like it's up to Biyomon to protect them. Can she do it?

The next morning, found the kids packing up their meager belongings. After what happened yesterday, no one wanted to stay in the area. Joe kept fretting over Tai, and who could blame him? From what the other kids could understand, Tai had been in a terrible accident when he was younger, which had lead him to relying on a wheelchair. Then being possessed by that creepy Digimon…?

No wonder Joe was so worried!

Sadly, the remnants of the possession was still affecting Tai. He was still somewhat pale and shaken, his brown eyes slightly hollow; all in all, it wasn't like him. Davis's red eyes never left sight of Tai, and he was keeping a rather firm grasp on Tai's hand. Leaving behind the now damaged site, the kids hurried on; trekking through the woods. As the woods began to thin around them, they were surprised by the sight of telephone poles. Izzy looked thoughtful, before taking a look at the others. "Think we should follow them?" He asked, his voice curious.

Joe sighed, looking relieved by the sight. "Maybe we can find a town," He murmured as the other kids nodded in agreement. Davis tightened his grasp on Tai, a faint sense of unease filtered through the worry he had for the older boy. Following the trail of telephone poles, the kids were excited at the thought of a town. Mimi was sighing over the fact that she could go back to the mall, making the Digimon wonder what the kids were on about. However, Tai's brown eyes were narrowed as he eyed the telephone poles with suspicion. His brow furrowed further as a soft whistle reached his ears; odd, where’d that come from?

Looking at the poles, Izzy realized something with a wince. "Um, we may have a problem," He said, with a hint of unease. Matt stopped, and looked at the redhead with concern. "What are you talking about, Izzy?" He asked, curiously. "Did anyone realize that the telephone poles aren't connected to one another?"

What?

Sora looked up, her red eyes wide as she realized that Izzy was indeed correct. Not one pole was connected to the other. "Do you think it's like those booths and trolley car?" She wondered, a bit nervous. Tai gently grasped Davis's hand as he walked by her. "Let's just say that nothing is what it seems here," He murmured.

Eh?

'What does he mean by that?'

.-.-.-.

It wasn't long before the thinning woods and telephone poles gave way to a barren desert. Without the trees to protect them, the sun bore down; and temperatures soared. With the scorching heat, there was no doubt that tempers would snap; it would only be a matter of time.

"Ugh, now what?"  
There we go.

Tai rolled his eyes as Joe let out an annoyed grunt; the older boy whining his words. Joe grimaced, stretching his collar a bit. Wearing a sweater vest in summer had been a poor choice, as the thicker cloth was causing him to overheat. Joe just hoped that he didn't pass out from the extreme temperatures. "Does anyone have a compass?" Sora asked, wiping the sweat from her brow. Oddly enough, neither Tai nor Davis looked bothered by the rising temperatures. "I do," Mimi said cheerfully, before pulling out a small compass from her bag. "You had that the entire time?" Matt asked, his voice shocked. "Well, yeah," Mimi piped up. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Joe snapped, his voice a low whine. Mimi blinked owlishly, tilting her head. "It's broken," She said simply. 

That figures.

Huh?

Tai stopped, before turning back in the direction that they had been coming from. The soft whistling that had caught his attention, was louder than before. "Tai?" Joe's voice broke through his thoughts. "Is everything okay?" Tai was about to answer when something black flew overhead, and headed in a certain direction.

[What was that?]

Frowning, Tai shook his head, before turning back to the others. "It's nothing," He muttered. Joe frowned, but reluctantly followed the others. He knew that something was bothering the younger boy, and he vowed to talk to Tai about it. Perhaps when the others were asleep tonight? After some time, the heat was taking its toll on the kids, worrying their partners. "We need to find some shade," Palmon said worriedly, seeing the kids conditions. Some were pale, like Tai was, while others were turning a rosy red. "Yeah, they don't look so good," Gomamon agreed. Biyomon was thoughtful, before realizing something. "I know of a place where we can rest!" She squealed, her blue eyes sparkling.

Oh?

.-.-.-.

[You have got to be kidding me.]

The place that Biyomon had been speaking of, was in fact, a Yokomon village. The village was resting at the bottom of a rather impressive looking mountain. And nearby laid a natural hot spring. According to the Yokomon, the lake was heated by Mihirashi Mountain; the guardian being Meramon. When Tai heard the guardian's name, his eyes harden for a moment, before it was gone once more.

The Yokomon, on the other hand, were amazed by the now rookie level Digimon. "Biyomon," One asked, as the kids were surrounded. "How'd you digivolve?" Izzy was curious, pondering over their question. Was it possible that digivolution was next to impossible for these little Yokomon? Biyomon gave an odd smile, her eyes bright. "It's because of my bond with Sora here," She explained. The Yokomon looked to Sora, who had taken a step back in shock. "I know they look a little strange," The pink bird continued. "But they're very nice." The Yokomon chirped, all smiling with joy as they crowded the kids.

As the kids got to know the Yokomon, Tai kept an eye on both TK and Davis, as the two were over by the springs. Agumon kept close, while Patamon and Veemon entertained their little friends. "What's really going on, Tai?" Agumon asked softly, as he sat down next to the silent brunette. Tai's brown eyes glanced towards him, before focusing on the two younger boys.

Agumon frowned. 

'Just what are you hiding, Tai?'

Hm?

Tai and Agumon looked up, a bit surprised to see the others, along with Yokomon approaching them. Sora and Matt looked embarrassed for some reason, catching Tai's attention. "Is everything okay?" The brunette questioned as the two flushed. "We, um, don't have a lot of those apples left," Matt said sheepishly. "The Yokomon invited us for a meal," Sora said with a slight smile as she scratched a cheek in embarrassment. "We're just gathering up some water now."

Hm, why was that embarrassing?

Without warning, the ground gave the barest of trembles, and Tai froze; before his brown eyes snapped toward Davis and TK. Within moments, Tai was on his feet and racing towards the duo, and yanked both kids back; and just in time, too. As Tai pulled the boys back, the once proud springs erupted with boiling lava; massive steam rose up, blinding the kids. Thinking fast, Tai shielded the boys; hissing as the steam seared his back. Thankfully, Davis and TK were alright, if not shaken by the sudden event. Grimacing, Tai pulled back, his brown eyes scanning the two for any visible injuries; only to relax when he saw not a single mark upon the two.

"TK!" Matt yelped, running over and hugged his frightened brother. "What happened?" Sora demanded, turning angry eyes on the stunned Yokomon. Joe was fretting over Tai, seeing the painful burns through Tai's black top. "Joe, I'm fine," Tai growled, pushing the older boy’s hands away. "The water shouldn't have dried up like that," One Yokomon murmured. As if sensing something, Izzy turned towards the mountains, before his eyes widen in shock. Even at this distance, he could see something was making its way down the mountainside and was heading straight for the Yokomon village!

Following his gaze, Tai stiffened, before pulling out a small telescope from his pocket. Huh, he had forgotten that he had that silly thing. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the pain in his back and focused the scope on the mountain. Tai could see a humanoid shape skating down the mountainside, leaving behind a trail of solid glass.

What if…?

Hearing a soft beep, Tai looked down, watching as the screen on his glove lit up; showing the profile for Meramon. He sighed, his eyes dark and bitter. "We've got problems," He said grimly. "Meramon's on his way here," Tai continued, before turning the scope into a closer lookup; and his eyes zeroed in on the humanoid elemental.

Tears.

Meramon was crying.

"What is it, Tai?" Joe asked, nervously when he saw the shocked look upon the brunette’s face. Tai lowered the scope in shock, brown eyes wide. "He's crying…" The brunette whispered, catching everyone's attention. "Huh? Why would Meramon be crying?" The Yokomon squeaked. Raising the scope once more, Tai focused on the rapidly approaching Digimon; carefully reading the elemental's lips as it spoke in an angered, pained voice. "He's in pain," Tai said softly, lowering the scope, before pocketing it once more. "He shouldn't be in pain," A Yokomon insisted. "He's made entirely of flames," The little one continued. "Something's wrong!"

Yikes!

A blast of intense flames shot over their heads, forcing the kids to the ground with startled yelps as the Yokomon started to cry. Seeing the little Digimon cry and the terrified kids, Biyomon's anger soared. "Oh, no you don't!" She growled, before taking off.

"Biyomon!" Sora yelled.  
"Come back!"

.-.-.-.

Meramon had been minding his own business, when he felt a sudden and sharp heat striking his back. Now, this should have been impossible, as his flames would have prevented anything from affecting his core temperature.

But now…?

Now, he was in a great deal of pain and he could feel his mind going haywire as every nerve within his very being felt like it was on fire (ironic as it was). In his haze of pain, Meramon sped down the mountains, and was heading straight for the Yokomon village.

If only the pain would go away…

.-.-.-.

Biyomon hovered in the air, her blue eyes glaring down at the fiery elemental. Meramon had stopped in his rampage, his solid blue orbs reflected a deep pain, and not much else. "How dare you hurt my friends!" She yelled, green flames flaring around her talons.

-"Spiral Twister!"-

The green flames struck the elemental, and the guy yelled in pain, staggering back. But, that was all that her attack did. In his anger, Meramon struck the pink bird; his flames searing her pink feathers as she hit the ground with a painful grunt.

"Biyomon!"

Biyomon struggled to sit up, wincing as her body ached from the heated blow. Looking up, she was shocked to see her fellow Digimon approaching the rampaging Meramon; doing their best to slow the stronger elemental down. Sadly, their attacks were having no effect on the furious Digimon. If anything, their attacks were just making Meramon stronger! The pink bird was horrified when Meramon's flames created a scorching wall, locking her friends into a deadly circle. "No!" She cried. "I have to help them," She whispered. "But how?" Unknown to Biyomon, Sora's device suddenly flashed, and Biyomon felt a surge of strength go through her.

Oh!

-Biyomon…digivolve to…Birdramon!-

The kids gaped, shocked by the sudden sight of Biyomon digivolving. Her new form rose in height, revealing a rather large and unusual looking bird. The bird was massive in side, with an impressive wingspan; their feathers the deepest of red-orange. Bright blue eyes glared down at the shocked Meramon, who hadn't been expecting the pink bird to digivolve like that. "Wow," Sora breathed, amazed by the sight of Birdramon. It was a bit unnerving seeing such sharp teeth on a bird, though. -"Meteor Wing!"- Birdramon roared, her voice much deeper than Biyomon’s had been, flapping her great wings. Her wings seemed to glow, before multiple balls of fire formed and flew towards Meramon.

To everyone's shock, Meramon screeched in pain, taking a step back; before something began to rise up from his back. "Wait, there's something in him," Tai said slowly, before turning his gaze to Birdramon. "Birdramon!" He yelled. "Aim for Meramon's back!" Birdramon's long ears twitched, the only indication that she had heard the boy. Her blue eyes zeroed in on the elemental's back, seeing what the brunette had spotted. She flapped her wings again, sending more fireballs at Meramon, and this time, the object was fully ripped out. Palmon scowled, her vines lashing out and wrapped around the object; revealing it to be a black gear.

With a flick of her wrists, the gear shattered in her grasp; dissolving into black mist. At the same time, Birdramon landed and reverted back to a tired Biyomon. "You did it," Sora breathed as the kids ran up to their Digimon. Biyomon squawked as Sora hugged her tightly. "Don't scare me like that again!" The girl scolded the embarrassed bird. "What was that thing?" Joe asked, after taking a quick look over everyone. "It looked like some sort of gear," Izzy mused. "Whatever it was," Matt said darkly. "It was hurting Meramon." Tai frowned, his brown eyes hard.

"We need to keep an eye out for more."


	9. Fears Realized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang come across an abandoned factory, and a secret that shocks them all. Unfortunately, during the commotion, Tai learns that his own fears and about the past rears its ugly head.

The next day, saw the kids waving goodbye to the Yokomon village; deciding to continue their journey after a good rest. The Yokomon were even kind enough to make Tai a new shirt, which was surprising seeing as they didn't have any hands. And yet, they were able to stitch a sleeveless tee-shirt. It resembled Tai's old one, but was a soft brown complete with a fiery trim.

As for Meramon…?  
Well…

It turned out that when the black gear struck him, he had been overwhelmed by intense pain. The pain had been so severe that he was consumed by rage, and had gone straight towards the nearest area; which, unfortunately for them, had been the Yokomon village. The fiery Digimon apologized for his actions, proving that he was indeed a peaceful one. Although, none of the kids knew that Meramon had quietly spoken with Tai. The elemental waved them goodbye, before returning to his mountain once more. 

As they continued their journey, Sora kept glancing at Biyomon. She couldn't believe that the little pink bird had digivolved like that, just to keep her and the others safe. Biyomon's second form was amazing, as it reminded her of a phoenix. Izzy, on the other hand, was pondering over his thoughts about the recent events.

It was odd on how Gabumon and Biyomon digivolved, but only when Matt and Sora were in danger. Was that the secret behind their evolution? To evolve, the partner would have to be in danger…? The redhead frowned, looking to Tentomon. He hoped that wasn't the case, but with the way things were going, it looked like his theory would be proven wrong.

And it was.

(...)

Tai was silent, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings as they walked. Well, it looked like the Digital World was being plagued by the darkness once more. It couldn't be Lucemon who was causing all of this, was it? 

He hoped not.

Shivering, he rubbed at his bare arms; feeling very uneasy right now. So, imagine his surprise when he felt a small hand grab his. Tai looked down, only to meet the worried crimson orbs. Tai gave a weak smile, and gently squeezed the boy's hand. "I'm fine, Davis," He assured the nervous child. "I promise."

Liar.

.-.-.-.

It was by late afternoon when the desert gave way to an industrial mountain; a mountain that their Digimon called 'Infinity Mountain'. To their curiosity, there was a factory at the base of the mountain. "Was this factory always here?" Izzy asked curiously. Tentomon hesitated, his buzzing a little louder; indicating his unease. "I don't remember," He murmured. "Not many come up to Infinity Mountain," Gomamon piped up. "It's said to be a treacherous hike, and many higher level Digimon live there," Gabumon explained at their confused looks. 

Hm…

"Maybe there's something inside that can help us out," Sora suggested. Before any of the others could even react, there was a distant rumble in the air. Joe looked up and winced when he saw the gathering storm clouds, the rumbling growing louder by the minute. "A storm's coming," He said, nervously. "We should find shelter and wait it out."

The factory it is.

.-.-.-.

Well, the inside of the factory was what one would expect. Numerous machines, metallic pillars and computers were lining the walls, and scattered about the many empty rooms. Mimi squirmed in discomfort, seeing the numerous spider webs and heavy layers of dust. “Ugh, has anyone ever heard of a maid service?” She grumbled. 

“What’s a maid service?” Palmon asked curiously.

Never mind.

“Mimi,” Sora said, sounding exasperated with the girl’s antics. “This place has been abandoned for a long time,” She continued. “So, I doubt that there’s been a maid service.” Mimi pouted, crossing her arms. “Well, they should!” She huffed. “This place is absolutely filthy!” Matt shook his head with a sigh, before looking around, when his eyes caught a flash of light. “What is that?” He asked, gesturing towards a shadowy corner. Looking over, the kids followed Matt’s gaze, and were startled by the sight of what appeared to be a robot. Or should that be cyborg?

The cyborg, obviously a male, was rather tall and muscular. Strangely enough, his left arm and right leg were metal, although there was a glimpse of grayish-brown flesh in his leg. His right arm, on the other hand, was primarily of the same grayish-brown flesh; but with a metallic gauntlet and a metal hand. His left leg, was still flesh, but there was metal wires running along the limb, and he sported a three-sharp clawed foot. His face, unlike what they had been expecting, was entirely human; but with a skull-shaped helmet.

“Hm, what’s Andromon doing here?” Tentomon wondered, tilting his head. “Andromon?” Izzy repeated, his voice curious. Tentomon was startled when he saw that the kids were looking at him with curiosity, and he flushed in embarrassment. “Ah, I’m sorry!” He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a sharp pincher. “Andromon was considered a prototype for Cyborg Digimon,” Tentomon explained. “I’m just surprised that there’s one here, as they were all scrapped a long time ago.” The kids all looked at the cyborg with wide eyes, all but Tai, that is.

As if realizing something, Tai looked down at his glove; only to see that the screen was glowing softly. He winced as he read Andromon’s profile to himself. There was no way in hell that they could handle his Gatling Attack, not with how weak their partner’s were. Tai just prayed that there was a god out there, and was actually listening.

If not…

[Then we're screwed sideways.]

"Tai?"

…eh?

Snapping out from his disturbing thoughts, Tai looked up and was surprised to find that it was Mimi of all people, who had called him. Surprisingly enough, her pink eyes were showing concern. The girl had seen his darkened eyes and had been worried about him, and rightly so. "Is everything okay?" She asked gently, once he focused on her.

Well…

*Beep*

Oh?

Hearing the soft beep, Tai looked down back at his glove only to freeze when a map was abruptly reflected back. A dark purple dot was rapidly moving toward a cluster of red dots; and he realized with a sickening horror that they were the red dots. Which meant, that someone or something was steadily making its way toward the unsuspecting group.

Not good.

"I think that we should move on," Tai said slowly, hoping that his unease wasn't showing. Joe turned, raising an eyebrow. "Tai," He said flatly. "It's still storming outside, there's no way that we're leaving."

A low rumble.

Uh-oh…

Swallowing thickly, Tai slowly turned to where the cyborg stood. Much to his dismay, the cyborg's eyes, which had been a dull gray, suddenly lit up with a soft light; and those empty gray eyes turned a blood red. Somehow, Andromon was awake, and he didn't look too happy to see the group. 

/"Intruders must be destroyed."/

"Destroyed?! Matt yelled, sounding utterly horrified. The cyborg took a step forward, before a hidden compartment in his chestplate opened up and to their horror, saw two blinking missiles. Even worse, the cyborg had no qualm about shooting at a bunch of kids. "Get down!" Tai yelled, before grabbing a startled Davis, and shielded the boy. Matt reached out and grabbed TK, before shielding his brother. The other kids dove for the ground, and just in time, too. As they dove for the ground, the missiles slammed into the wall behind them. Tai was just thankful that the homing part hadn’t been activated.

For now, anyway.

/"Destroy. Destroy. Destroy."/

Andromon's red eyes were blank as he slowly began to shuffle towards them. Without warning, his metal hand slid back into the gauntlet, only for a glowing yellow blade to slide out. Crap, his damn Lightning Blade. The kids began to back up, but Tai looked down at Davis and at his still activated map, before making his decision. "Davis," Tai said firmly as he knelt down to the redhead's level. "I need you to go with the others, alright?" Davis looked like he was about to protest, but Tai quickly silenced him; looking at the approaching Digimon with unease. "Davis, please trust me," He pleaded. "You'll be safe with the others."

-/"Gatling Attack!"/-

Tai cursed as the same missiles, but these were blinking with a bright yellow light; realizing that the homing had been activated. "Me and my big mouth," He grumbled, before shaking his head with a grumble. "Separate!" He barked over to the others, horrifying Joe. "WHAT?!" The older boy yelled. "Andromon can't follow all of us!" Tai snapped back before he gently pushed Davis towards a dumbfounded Sora. "But Tai!" She protested. Tai glanced at his map, biting his lip. "Look," He said quietly, his voice low. "I don't have time to explain right now, but Andromon isn't the only one here."

Huh?

"What do you mean by that?" Izzy asked nervously, freaking out over the fact that a cyborg was approaching them, intending on wiping them out. Why weren't they running away?! Tai smiled sadly, and shook his head. "Don't worry," He assured them. "I'll take care of it, but right now we need to get out of here."

Right…

Taking a look back at Andromon, Tai shot Joe a pointed look; and the older boy was reluctant to accept it. "Brake for it!" Tai barked as the missiles were sent flying. The kids then broke apart, but not before Sora was able to call out to Tai; who had gone in the opposite direction. "But, what about you?!" She yelled.

"Don't worry!" Tai yelled back.  
"I'll be able to find you!"

"Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?" Joe whined as they ran down one hall. Tai, and unknown to the brunette, Agumon had gone onto following him. "Maybe because you know Tai better than any of us?" Matt grumbled.

"True."

(...)

"Tai!" Agumon yelled.   
"Tai, wait up!"

The little dino panted as he struggled to keep up with the brunette; amazed with the boy's recovery. Tai scowled, but reluctantly slowed down. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Agumon asked, panting as he finally reached the annoyed brunette. Tai huffed, looking away; unable to talk.

"I'm afraid that's my fault dearie."

…eh?

Agumon grunted as he was viciously kicked into a wall, leaving the poor dino dazed and barely conscious. A savage blow to the head sent him into blissful unconsciousness, leaving Tai alone to face whoever attacked him. Tai, on the other hand, grimaced at the sight of the new Digimon; their profile appearing on screen. The Digimon in question was a black cat that was roughly two feet in height; a purple striped tail that was spiked at the tip, purple spiked tipped ears, and large paw-shaped gloves that was shaded the deepest of purples with blood red stripes. Cold, golden eyes met his uneasy honey brown ones.

BlackGatomon.

"So," The dark champion purred, their voice low and husky; but clearly female. "You're the one that has Lord Lucemon in a tizzy." Tai froze, his eyes widening in absolute horror as he backed away slowly. "L-Lucemon…?" He stuttered, a chill going down his spine. "T-That's not-t possible…" Tai murmured, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You better believe it brat."

[Give me a break!]

There, hovering in the shadows, was another Digimon. Strangely enough, this Digimon resembled a light blue bowling ball; a furry bowling ball with sharp teeth and talons, that is. The Digimon was primarily a light blue, but with black fur lining its legs, sharp bird-like red-tipped talons, a dark blue and stitched up mask was being worn, and sported two wings; a pair of small black ones and a pair of large dark blue ones (probably the arms), and oddly enough, the ears resembled Koromon's, but raggedy. Their slitted yellow eyes reflected dark amusement.

DemiDevimon.

DemiDevimon looked the brunette over before snorting. "Why the hell would Lord Lucemon want with a human like you?" Tai panicked, trembling like a leaf. Even now, after all of these years, he was still having nightmares about the incident. BlackGatomon scowled, and slapped the rookie. 

"Idiot!" She snapped. 

"Lord Lucemon wants him for a reason," She continued, before giving Tai a curious look. "Though, it is curious as to why he's desperate to claim you." Tai shivered, feeling sick at such a thought. "I'm afraid that you'll have to come with us."

[Oh hell no!]

(...)

It was a surprised group of kids, who had gotten together after a harrowing experience an hour later. "I still can't believe that Tentomon evolved like that," Sora breathed, still amazed by Tentomon's change. The small red beetle flushed at the looks that he was being given. Who knew that someone as small and unsuspecting as Tentomon to turn into such a giant beetle like Kabuterimon? 

"I'm more concerned about those black gears," Izzy murmured. While he was proud of his friend's digivolution, it was worrying that Andromon had been possessed by a black gear. The same gear that was controlling Meramon. Thankfully, Kabuterimon had freed the cyborg from the possession, and the grateful android lead them to a drainage system that would take them to safety. Joe, on the other hand, was very nervous. It had been a little bit over an hour since they had separated, and he had yet to see Tai anywhere. He was fretting over the brunette's safety, and silently cursing Tai out for his foolishness. "Joe?" Matt asked, seeing the agitation in the older boy. "Is everything okay?"

Joe looked up before sighing. "Has anyone seen Tai?" He asked, his voice showing his concern. The kids blinked, having forgotten about Tai in all of the excitement. Come to think of it, where was Tai? 

"I'm here…" 

The kids turned, shocked by the sight of an exhausted looking Tai dragging a bruised Agumon, steadily making his way toward them. The other Digimon hurried forward and gently took Agumon, allowing Tai for the chance to rest. "Oh dear," Gabumon murmured, seeing the ugly bruises marring Agumon's back and head. "What happened to him?" Palmon asked, panicking. Joe did a quick check on Agumon, before deciding that the little orange dino would be fine; just sore when he decides to wake up. Knowing that there was only one person who had the answers, Joe turned to Tai; who was leaning against the pipe lining. "Tai, what happened after you left?"

Tai slowly looked up, his eyes somewhat glassy. Blinking owlishly, he slowly registered Joe's question. For a moment, nothing happened; then, without warning, Tai's eyes widen before he turned absolutely white. He started shaking, his breathing grew sharper and Joe was stunned to realize that Tai was having a panic attack. What on earth could have shaken him so badly like this?! Taking a deep breath, Joe made sure to keep his face blank and slowly approached the panicking boy. Making sure that Tai could see him, he carefully placed a gentle hand on the trembling boy's right shoulder. "Tai," He said softly. "I need you to calm down, alright?" Matt, who had been the closest to them, looked up sharply and in their direction. 'A panic attack?' The blond thought with suspicion. 

Somehow, through his rising fear, Tai could hear Joe's gentle voice. Wheezing, he faintly realized that his chest was beginning to hurt and struggled to calm down. But, with the idea of him being out there, it made calming down a lot harder. And yet, by focusing on Joe's calming presence, Tai was able to calm down enough so that he could speak. "There," Joe smiled slightly. "Now, what happened back there?" Tai shivered, shaking his head violently. "I-I can't," He rasped. "Please Joe," Tai whimpered. "I-I can't talk about…" His voice broke off into a crack, leaving an awkward silence. Joe was silent, as he gave the shivering brunette a look, before sighing. "Fine," He grumbled. "But, we will be talking about this later."

[Thank you, Joe.]

Desperate to keep the others from prying, Tai decided to find out what had happened with Andromon. "So," He said weakly. "What happened with Andromon?" At this, TK's blue eyes brightened, clearly excited. "Kabuterimon took him out!" He squealed. "It was so cool!" Tai raised an eyebrow, before giving Tentomon a curious look. Tai, then smirked, much to Tentomon's surprise. "I'm impressed." The beetle flushed, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. Izzy, on the other hand, was thoughtful. "It's strange," He mused; his words catching the attention of the others.

"What's strange, Izzy?" Sora questioned, her red eyes never leaving Tai. "It's strange on why and how Tentomon digivolved," Izzy murmured. "What are you talking about?" Mimi asked, tilting her head. "Well, the first to digivolve was Gabumon," Izzy looked to the others. "Right?" The other kids nodded. "Then it was Biyomon and finally Tentomon." 

Izzy frowned.

"Ever notice the connection?"

…huh?

"Danger…" Joe breathed, his voice shocked. "Tentomon digivolved in order to stop Andromon, because you were in danger, Izzy." Joe looked back to where Matt and Sora were, his eyes dark and disturbed. "Matt nearly drowned because of Seadramon, and Sora," Joe continued. "You and the rest of us were nearly burned by Meramon." The group's eyes widen, as they realized that Joe and Izzy were right.

That can't be a good thing.

As if realizing something, Izzy turned to Tai. "How'd you find us, anyway?" Tai blinked, before his cheeks redden. He rubbed the back of his neck in a sheepish manner, before holding up his gloved hand. "This actually has a built-in map," He admitted. 

Oh.

"So," Tai said after an awkward pause. "I take it this is the way out?" This seemed to have snapped the others out of their disturbed thoughts. "Oh yeah," Matt said with a start. "Andromon said that this drainage system would lead us to the other side of the mountain," He continued. 

Really now?

Glancing back in the direction that he had come from, Tai shivered before turning back to the others. "Let's just get out of here," He muttered. By now, Agumon had regained consciousness, and just like Joe predicted, he was extremely sore. He was also grousing about who had knocked him out, which Tai had heard. "Be glad that she held back," Tai muttered to him. Unfortunately for Tai, he wasn’t quiet enough as someone in their group heard him; and was immediately suspicious by his words. Silently filing this way, they wisely kept silent as the group trudged on.

About twenty minutes late, the kids were relieved to see a light in the distance. At least they could get out of this smelly pipes. Despite the factory having been abandoned for such a long time, the drainage pipes reeked to high heaven; and it was getting tiresome listening to Mimi's whining. As the kids neared the end of the pipe, Tai felt his glove heat up (huh, he really needed a name for that thing), and slowly looked down.

Uh-oh.

The map activated, and Tai was uneasy by the sight of the two approaching dark purple dots. Oh man, they needed to move before whoever it was reached them. Looking back to the others, Tai was silently urging the others to hurry up. Approaching the pipe opening, the kids saw that Andromon had been right. The drainage pipe did indeed lead to the other side of the mountain, and hopefully to safety. One-by-one, the other kids and Digimon jumped down; until only Tai and Agumon, and Mimi and Palmon were left. For some reason, Mimi was hesitating about jumping down. 

Checking the map, Tai saw that the two purple dots were much closer, and he felt his anxiety rising. "Um, Mimi?" He said weakly, he kept looking back with unease. "Any chance that you could hurry up?" Mimi turned and shot him a dirty look, clearly unimpressed with his attitude. "What's your problem?" She huffed, before turning back to the others. 

And failed to see what happened.

Tai was tense and agitated, and his eyes were darting about. He froze when he heard a sharp whistle, and he looked up; only to turn white. A rather large and comical sized syringe was speeding towards the unsuspecting Mimi and Palmon. Damn, DemiDevimon and BlackGatomon caught up with him.

"Mimi!" He called out.

"Look out!"

The poor girl looked up, turning her head slightly only to shriek at the sight of the syringe heading for her. However, before it could reach her, Mimi felt someone shoving her into the safety of the others; only to hear a soft cry of pain and the shocked yells of both Agumon and Palmon.

Oh no.

"T-Tai?" Mimi called, her voice shaken. "We need some help up here!" Palmon said angrily. Nervous, Joe helped himself back up into the pipe, only to pale at the sight. Tai laid in a lifeless heap, a rather large syringe was off to the side; the needle soaked in blood. Agumon was glaring at the syringe, while Palmon was running her nails through his hair; her eyes reflecting her worry.

What on earth happened?


	10. Of Nightmares and Doubts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tai is stuck within a feverish sleep, thanks to DemiDevimon. Unknown to the others, he's left facing some painful memories.

It didn't take Joe long to realize what had happened. Whatever had been in that syringe was making Tai sick. Joe confided with the others on his suspicions, and he wasn't the only one who was angered by the revelation. Unfortunately, there wasn't much that Joe could do for Tai. According to Gomamon, very few Digimon had a gift of healing; saving for the angel types. Sadly, angel types were rare, very rare as many consider them to be myths. Joe was upset by this, and even Mimi admitted that there wasn’t much in her bag that could help. 

The only thing that could be done for Tai, was for them to ease his pain as much as possible and try to keep his fever down. Luckily, they were able to find a small river, and Joe was able to stock up on some extra water. Hopefully, Tai would pull through and they could find out just who attacked him.

.-.-.-.

"Eeep!"

Mimi squealed as she and the others ran off in separate directions. It had been three days since Tai had been attacked, and they had moved on only early today as Tai's fever had broken. Joe had been carrying the unconscious boy when a group of Numemon attacked them after Mimi recoiled in disgust at their request of a 'date'.

Hence, why they were running.

Mimi had no idea that the slimey slug rejects would thrown their own feces in retaliation. No wonder they were at the bottom of the pole! Apparently, no self respecting Digimon liked the disgusting little slimeballs. At long last, the two had lost sight of the Numemon. Unfortunately, they had also lost sight of the others! "Um, Mimi?" Palmon said nervously, looking around with wide eyes. "We lost the others." Mimi scowled, crossing her arms as she huffed. "Stupid Numemon," She grumbled. Palmon hesitated, as if unsure about something. She was still trying to gage Mimi's attitude on the situation, and she did know one thing about the girl.

Mimi was one stubborn girl.

"Come on," Palmon urged, taking the angry girl's hand. "We should find the others before anyone else finds us." Sighing, Mimi reluctantly followed Palmon down the path that they had gone before. She just hoped that there wouldn't be any more nasty surprises.

.-.-.-.

Hm…

[Where…am I?]

Tai groaned, his head was throbbing like crazy; his stomach churning as he laid there. To be honest, he really didn't feel like getting up. He just wanted to curl up and sleep. Why should he get up anyway? After all, it wasn't like anything was happening.

…right?

.-.-.-.

A town.

The others had gone off in the direction of a town. 'How dare they leave me behind?!' Mimi thought angrily, her lips curling slightly as she and Palmon followed the path that the others had taken. Although, this wasn't any town like she's seen before. Why were the buildings shaped like they were? And who used bright colors that clashed like these?

"Where is everyone?" Palmon whispered.

Eh?

Mimi snapped out of her anger, and looked down at Palmon in shock. "What do you mean?" Palmon frowned, her green eyes nervous. "I mean, the town should be crawling with Digimon," She murmured. "But there's no one in sight." Mimi blinked owlishly, before looking around and she realized that her friend was right.

No one.

There was no one to be seen.

"That's weird," Mimi mused, tilting her head. The two continued to look around, hoping to find someone who could help them. Mimi stopped, turning her head slightly. Was she hearing things, or were those footsteps coming in their direction? "Hide!" Mimi hissed to a confused Palmon. The two hid behind a building, watching as someone approached them. Much to Mimi's shock, it was Joe! "Joe?" Mimi said softly, tilting her head as she squinted a bit. Sure enough, it was Joe Kido, but something about him was wrong. 

The older boy was running, but there were several robotic toys chasing him. His eyes were hollow and empty, and there was a slight smile crossing his lips as he murmured loud enough for the two to hear. "Who needs books? Who needs books?" He soon disappeared out of sight, allowing the two to come out of hiding.

"Was that really Joe?" Palmon asked, shocked.

"It was him," Mimi said with a frown. "But, something was wrong." Palmon looked up with curious eyes. "What do you mean?" She questioned as Mimi's frown deepened. "I don't know much about Joe," She said softly. "But I do know that he's an avid lover and books." Mimi looked in the direction that Joe had taken. "More importantly, he's protective of Tai."

Palmon froze.

Tai was also missing, as were the other kids and her fellow partners. "Then, where are the others?" She asked nervously. Mimi sighed, having a bad feeling about things. "We better find them and fast."

.-.-.-.

Hm…

[What's going on?]

Tai blinked sleepily, lifting his head slightly. To his confusion, the comforting darkness had vanished. Instead, he was in an endless field; a grand oak tree loomed over him. The skies were clear and such a warm shade of blue. There was a gentle breeze, and everything felt…lighter somehow.

[I've been here before…  
…haven't I?]

Tai was about to go back to sleep when he felt movement from underneath. All traces of exhaustion left him as he froze. His eyes snapped open and he found himself staring into the dark green eyes of one Kouji Minamoto.

[Impossible…] 

"Ko-Kouji…?" Tai rasped, stammering a bit. He blinked, before turning red as he realized that he was laying in Kouji's lap. The dark haired boy smiled, which was impossible as Kouji rarely if ever smiled. "I'm dreaming…" Tai whispered, shivering. "I have to be!"

"Are we a dream too, Taky?"

Huh?

Turning his head slightly, Tai paled when he saw JP Shibayama, Zoe Orimoto, Tommy Himi and Kouichi Kimura, sitting around them; smiling happily. They looked just as he remembered them, happy and healthy. Fear rising, Tai scrambled back; jumping away from Kouji, brown eyes wide.

"This isn't real," Tai whimpered, his hands shaking. 

"Why did you forget us?" Tommy asked, tiling his head as his dark blue-green eyes searched Tai's face. It was as if he couldn't see the rising panic in the older boy. "You sure got over us real fast," JP snipped, before wincing as Zoe slapped him upside the head. "Hush you!" She scolded. Tai continued to tremble, shaking his head as he mumbled. "Not real, not real, not real…" He whimpered. During this, Kouichi got up and sat down in front of the frightened boy. Without warning, he took Tai into his arms, hugging the startled brunette. 

[I'm not dreaming…] 

"It's okay Takuya," Kouichi whispered, nuzzling the now smaller boy. He couldn't believe how much Takuya had changed. He was definitely smaller, and far too thin for his tastes. Tai, who was trembling, his glassy eyes blinking rapidly, before pearly tears began to fall. Sniffling, Tai shakily wrapped his arms around Kouichi and just cried. Everything that had happened since the incident, including his abrupt return to the Digital World, had finally caught up to him. So, it wasn't surprising that he broke down like this. Kouichi just held him, whispering soothing words as the others grew silent. After awhile, Kouichi spoke; but his voice was low and grim.

"Takuya, you're in grave danger."

[What…?]

Pulling back, Tai sniffed, looking up with watery eyes. Sighing, Kouichi looked back towards the others, before meeting the grim eyes of his brother. Something passed between them, and the two gave each other slight nods. No matter what happened, they would protect the brunette.

"What…what do you mean?" 

"You were poisoned."

.-.-.-.

Well, this was…different.

Mimi and Palmon had found the other kids, minus Tai, of course. And very much like Joe, they were in a trance, being chased around by toys. They were all muttering rather oddly, and didn't seem to notice the confused duo. "This is so weird," Mimi huffed. "It's like they were in a trance," The girl continued, waving her arms about in an angry manner. Palmon nodded in agreement, only she still looked disturbed. "But, we still haven't found Tai or the others." She protested. "True," Mimi agreed. "But, haven't we searched the whole place already?"

A low rumble.

…huh?

.-.-.-.

"P-Poisoned?"

Kouichi nodded, his eyes darkening a bit. "Yes, by DemiDevimon," He said grimly. He suddenly gripped Tai's shoulder, his nails digging painfully into tender flesh. Tai winced, wanting to pull away, but something deep inside stilled his action. "You have to fight it," Kouichi told him.

"Do you understand, Takuya?"

Blinking owlishly, Tai stared blankly at him, as if unable to comprehend the situation. Suddenly, the skies began to take on a much darker tone; a faint rumble could be heard. Kouji snapped to attention, his eyes scanning the darkening skies with a frown.

"Too late."

…huh?

.-.-.-.

Hearing the soft rumbling, Mimi and Palmon followed the sounds to a small, colorful building just off to their left. The inside resembled more of a warehouse, and the duo were shocked to find three large trunks that were shaking. Wait, were those muffled voices coming from within the trunks?!

What if - ?

"Let us out!" Cried an angry, feminine voice. Palmon's eyes widen before she hurried up to the center trunk. "Biyomon!" She cried. "Is that you?!" The shaking abruptly stopped, as whoever or whatever was in the trunk, realized that they weren't alone. 

"Palmon?" 

Oh, that was Gabumon!

"Yeah, it's us!" Palmon said, happy and relieved that they found the others. "What happened?" Mimi demanded. "Monzaemon was the one who found us," Gomamon sounded upset. "He took the others and stashed us in here." Mimi winced, feeling sympathetic for the Digimon. "Wait," The girl started, realizing that something else was bothering the trapped Digimon. "What about Tai?"

…

"We don't know."

Not good.

.-.-.-.

"We don't have much time," Kouji said, sounding grim at the sight of the changes. "The poison's already affecting you," Zoe said, wincing as the once gentle breeze surged into a raging whirlwind. Tommy whimpered, curling into the blond, his eyes reflecting his fear. 

"Takuya," Kouichi said loudly over the rising wind. "You need to wake up!" Tai was pale as the ominous words were finally hitting him. "But…" His voice trailed off, as if unsure. He didn't want to wake up. This was honestly the first time he was able to relax, comforted by the sight of his friends. He really didn't want to go back to the painful reality; knowing that he was alone. "Takuya," Kouichi said softly, gripping the brunette's shoulder. "You're not alone." His eyes were soft and gentle. "You can trust the others," He promised. Only, Tai looked unsure and a bit suspicious by the sudden advice. 

"Now wake up."

Tai began to panic as he realized that everything was starting to blur, and the others were beginning to fade from his vision. "No!" He pleaded, reaching out. "Please, no!" Too bad that fate was working against him, and Tai was promptly plunged into total darkness.

[Don't leave me…!]


	11. A Painful Admission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, Tai has woken up from his coma, but something about him seems off to the kids. Wonder what was bothering him...?

Two weeks.

That was how long they had been here.

So much has happened during those two weeks, that it was unbelievable. Crazy weather happening, followed by being pulled into a bizarre world with unusual creatures? This was something that could only happen in the movies! Joe sighed as he tended to the fire, his dark eyes narrowed slightly as he frowned. They were almost at the top of Infinity Mountain, and while he was hoping for a way home; the thought strangely didn't matter to him as much as it used to. He was still worried about Tai, as the younger boy had yet to wake up. Oh, if only he knew what had been in that syringe!

Right now, they were gathered in a small cave, having decided to rest there for a night or two. Matt and Sora had gone out with their Digimon to look for some food and to gather up some more wood. Izzy was doing some calculations, while Mimi entertained TK. Davis, on the other hand, refused to leave Tai's side; and was cuddled up to the unconscious boy, having fallen asleep. Tai, who had been laid down on his jacket; his skin quite pale, his breathing still labored. Looking back to the younger boy, Joe saw that Tai had once again, broken into a cold sweat. Sighing, Joe got up to treat him. Just as he knelt down with a bowl of water and a cloth, Joe was shocked by the sight of hazy honey brown eyes staring back.

Tai was awake.

Feeling the slight movement, a sleepy Davis woke up; sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. The small redhead was startled to find that Tai was finally awake. Before Joe could stop Davis, the excited boy hugged the brunette, nuzzling into the thin chest. Tai's arms instinctively wrapped around Davis, his eyes still hazy; but they were clearing a bit. After awhile, Tai gently set Davis down, before he pushed himself up with a pained grunt. His eyes slowly scanned the cavern, taking in the fire, and the sight of a stunned Mimi, TK and Izzy; before his eyes returned to Joe. Before Tai could say anything, Mimi was up on her feet and hurried over, before hugging Tai; tears pooling in her eyes.

"Thank you," She whispered.

…huh?

She pulled back, wiping at her eyes. "You saved my life," She said softly. Tai blinked owlishly, before he remembered what had happened before he had passed out. Tai's pale cheeks flushed slightly, his eyes traveling downwards in embarrassment. 

"Tai! You're awake!"

Oh?

Ah, Sora and Matt were back.

Dropping the fruit that she had gathered, Sora ran over and hugged Tai; relieved by the sight of him being awake. Matt relaxed, carefully setting some firewood down. Like Sora, he was relieved to see that Tai was awake. Embarrassed by such a bold move, a pink faced Sora hastily pulled back; and even Tai's face was pink. Of course, that could still be from whatever had been in the syringe. "A lot has happened since you've been out,” Izzy said quietly. Still drained, Tai turned his head to where the redhead sat, those dark eyes meeting his brown ones. "We ran into a bunch of Numemon," Sora began. "Who separated us, and we were captured by Monzaemon." Sora suddenly grimaced, and even the other kids; minus Mimi, all looked uneasy.

Seeing Tai's confused look, Mimi couldn't help but laugh. "I'll tell you what happened," She said with a giggle. "They got caught by Monzaemon and brainwashed!" Tai froze, before his brown eyes scanned the other kids frantically. They looked alright; just embarrassed by what had happened. "Palmon did digivolve, though," Mimi continued as Palmon flushed, scratching a cheek in embarrassment. Matt sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against a wall. "Besides that," He began as Tai turned in his direction. "Joe here decided that he was going to reach the top by himself." Tai stiffened, before he gave the embarrassed boy a stern look. "And well, to make a long story short," Matt continued. "Gomamon had digivolved into Ikkakumon to save him."

Oh Joe…

"So, that means that out of our group," Izzy mused. "Only Agumon, Patamon and Veemon have yet to digivolve." TK and Davis were both curious as to what their friends would turn into, Tai, on the other hand…?

Not so much.

Still weakened, Tai silently laid back down, but this time, he turned his back to the others. Ignoring their concern, Tai slowly drifted back to sleep but he couldn't help but have one last thought.

[Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?]

.-.-.-.

It took another three days before Tai was strong enough to move on his own. There was something that was concerning them, though. Tai seemed to be more withdrawn, his eyes were somehow darker, and he appeared to be angry about something. But whatever it was about, he wasn't saying anything.

.-.-.-.

"Ugh," Mimi whined. "Just how big is this mountain?" They had left the cave behind several hours ago, and it was getting warmer as they continued their trek. She wasn't the only one who was tired, the others were, too. But, did Mimi really have to complain about everything?! Tai was silent, but he was beginning to wince with every step that he took. He reached a shaky hand to his chest, unconsciously rubbing at his heart. He never told the others what had happened during his state of unconsciousness. Despite the gentle urging of Kouichi, Tai wasn't so sure that he could really trust the others.

…huh?

Feeling the barest of vibrations from the rocky ground, Tai slowly looked down only to see several pebbles moving. Oh no, something was coming their way, and whatever it was, was very heavy. Inspecting their surroundings, he winced as he saw that they were near a cliff.

Yep.

They were screwed.

"Wait, what's that?" Joe asked, his voice loud but uneasy. The other kids looked in his direction, only to realize what had gotten Joe's attention. Standing on both sides of the group, was a Digimon that eerily resembled a triceratops, but with a single horn. They sported dark gray, almost black, armor over a good portion of their pale grey skin. Said armor was a helmet, a spinal body armor and protective guards. Although, there were patches of metallic armor scattered here and there. The helmet consisted five long, red-striped horns, and four sharp spikes ran along the spine. There were several visible scars, and everything was topped off with green eyes.

Angry green eyes.

Surprisingly enough, Tai hadn't recognized this Digimon; so he took a chance and checked his Digivice, and sure enough, a profile popped up. Huh, so they were Monochromon, then. Doing a quick reading of the attacks had him wincing. Yeah, that Volcanic Strike and Gaudy Tusk were definitely something that they needed to avoid at all costs. "Uh-oh," Agumon winced. "Looks like we stumbled into their territory." The little dino could understand why the two Monochromon were angry. And it didn't help that the way the two were acting, that they were rivals. "We need to move," Gabumon said quietly. "But slowly," He warned. Tai kept a firm hand on Davis's shoulder, but his eyes remained locked on the two warring Monochromon's; knowing that he would need to move fast should one launch an attack.

… 

Yep.  
Time to move.

Seeing that one of the Monochromon's mouth was opening and dark red flames were swirling ominously, Tai knew that time was up. He could feel that the other Monochromon was gearing up to charge. "Get back!" He yelled, before grabbing a startled Davis and threw the both of them back against the mountainside.Deciding to heed Tai's warnings, the kids, including their partners, all jumped back until they were up against the mountainside. And thankfully, they had gotten out of the way, just in time. -"Volcanic Strike!"- The one who had opened its mouth, yelled; and a large ball of dark red flames soared across the way, right where the kids had been only moments before. The second Monochromon simply knocked the attack into nothing with its tusk, before it was charging across. There was one tiny problem, though. They were a little too close to the cliff edge. And, unfortunately for the Monochromon, they were a bit too heavy and the cliff gave way. The two large Digimon screeched as they were sent tumbling to the jungle below.

Yikes.

"Will they be okay?" Sora asked, after a long and awkward pause. Tentomon peered over the edge with curiosity before nodding. "Yes," He said calmly. "Monochromon are fairly sturdy," He continued. It was as if this was a normal occurrence, and who knew.

Maybe it was?

.-.-.-.  
Meanwhile

Blood red eyes narrowed, as the owner placed a clawed hand against their chin; musing thoughtfully. The arrival of the human children hadn't gone unnoticed, and they had been testing the group for some time. It was interesting how many of the young Digimon had digivolved. Although, it was quite curious how the Agumon, Patamon and that little dragon, Veemon, had yet to.

Curiouser and curiouser.

.-.-.-.

Huh?

Tai looked up sharply, a slight frown gracing his lips. He could have sworn that someone or something had been watching them. And with the way things have been going, Tai wouldn't be surprised if the one who had been watching them was the one who was controlling these black gears. 

"Who is that?"

…eh?

Tai shook his head, trying to clear away his thoughts as he realized that something had happened during his distraction. It had been a couple of hours since they left the Monochromon behind, and were so close to the top, when Sora's innocent question had caught his attention. Looking ahead, Tai froze at the sight.

Oh no.

Standing ahead of them was a humanoid, muscular lion. They were dressed in a pair of grayish-black pants, with a spiked red necklace around the neck, and black leather straps decorated the right arm. A gold hooped earring was seen from one ear, and several scars marred its muscular body. What was nerve wrecking, was the sight of the large scabbard strapped to the back. Even worse, was the fact that the eyes were a milky white.

Not good. 

As if by some silent command, Tai looked back to the direction that they had come from, and grimaced at the sight of a second Digimon. This new Digimon was fairly tall and resembled a mix between what one would describe as a goblin and an ogre. It stood at a height slightly smaller than the lion, but was just as muscular only with bigger hands. It had a dark greenish skin with long silver-grey hair, narrowed stormy blue eyes, and rather sharp teeth that was barred in a toothy grin. Long, dark gray horns jutted out from the sides of its angular head, as well as two smaller silver spikes from its shoulders. It sported silver hoops on both pointed ears, and a skull tattoo on the left shoulder. It only wore a pair of black leather shorts, a black leather gauntlet on the left arm and right leg, and brown leather straps on the right arm and left ankle. They also carried a large and spiked bone club.

[We're so screwed.]

"That's funny," Gabumon murmured. Matt inched closer to TK, his blue eyes never leaving the sight of the two Digimon. "What do you mean?" He whispered back. "Leomon is a very friendly Digimon, but he and Ogremon hold a rivalry," Gabumon explained. "It doesn't make sense why the two would be here," He continued. "You ready for this, Leomon?" Ogremon asked loudly, his voice sly. Leomon silently withdrew his sword, his milky eyes blank. "Something's not right," Biyomon said worriedly. "Leomon would never attack without cause!" Before any of the kids could react, the two opposing Digimon lunged for the group; only to be blinded by the light of digivolution.

Gabumon…digivolve to…Garurumon!  
Palmon…digivolve to…Togemon!  
Tentomon…digivolve to…Kabuterimon!  
Biyomon…digivolve to…Birdramon!  
Gomamon…digivolve to…Ikkakumon!

Tai perked up, finally seeing the new forms; seeing as he hadn't been aware. Togemon, he remembered meeting once before. Said champion resembled a rather large cactus with red boxing gloves for hands. Kabuterimon was a giant blue beetle of some kind with a gray armored helmet. And Ikkakumon looked a bit like a mixture between a walrus and polar bear, but with shaggy fur and a long horn that jutted from the forehead.

Interesting.

Garurumon growled, opening his mouth as blue flames swirled ominously. Birdramon was up in the air, and her powerful wings was sending small bursts of wind that was keeping Leomon at bay. Blue electricity was cackling dangerously around Kabuterimon’s sharp mandibles. And Ikkakumon was shielding the kids and the rookies; he wasn't going to let any harm come to them, especially since three of them had yet to digivolve. This weakness had left the three rookies in a vulnerable position. Ogremon let out an angry shout as he was abruptly electrocuted and Leomon grunted, skidding back from the mixture of infused blue flames. "This isn't over, yet!" Ogremon yelled, glaring at the confused kids, before he took off. Leomon, on the other hand, sheathed his sword; those empty eyes looked them over with what appeared to be curiosity. Moments later, he shook his furry head and simply walked away. This was quite worrisome, but it would have to wait until a later date. The champions reverted back to their rookie forms; quite confused by this.

Time to move on.

.-.-.-.

What the -- ?

Well, whatever they had been expecting at the top of Infinity Mountain, it sure wasn't this. There, perched upon the top of the mountain, was a grand mansion. The building was two stories tall, and it looked like something out of a storybook. The kids, minus Tai, were excited by the find. They were exhausted and hungry, and the idea of sleeping in an actual bed and a real hot bath was divine. Just as the kids started for the mansion, Agumon realized that Tai had yet to move. Curious, the little orange dino turned to his friend; wondering what was wrong. "Tai," He called softly, seeing that the boy was standing there with his head lowered; hands clenched tightly. "Are you coming?" Hearing Agumon, the others had stopped in mid stride and turned to the duo; wondering what was the hold up. 

"No."

Mimi scowled, crossing her arms. "And why not?" She huffed. She was looking forward to a hot bath and a warm bed. What wasn't to be happy with such a thing? "I'm not going in," Was all that the brunette would say. "Come on Tai," Sora urged as she walked over to the smaller boy. "I know that we're not the only ones who are excited about this," She continued.

"The answer is no."

That did it.

Matt glared at Tai, his blue eyes flashing dangerously as he finally got tired of the brunette's attitude. "Gods," He yelled. "What the hell is your problem, Tai?!" TK winced, taking a step back at hearing his brother curse. If their parents were there, Matt wouldn't be yelling like this, nor would he have gotten away with saying a bad word. "You've had an attitude ever since we got here," Matt said angrily. "And it's only gotten worse since you woke up," The blond continued, his voice growing louder and angrier with each passing moment. Oh man, Matt was beyond anger; he was positively furious. However, Matt was correct, even if he was going about it the wrong way.

Tai had been rather distant with everyone, and he was always doing his best to avoid Agumon; something that the kids could see was hurting the little dino. And ever since he woke up, Tai just seemed to get colder, angry. Instead of replying, Tai simply turned his back on them; shocking the group. "Forget this," Matt growled, before he gently grabbed TK's hand and dragged the nervous boy with him to the mansion. Hearing the door slam behind him, seemed to cinch it for the other kids. Sora shot Tai a disappointed look, before shaking her head as she too, followed Matt into the mansion. 

And so, one-bye-one the kids and their partners entered the mansion; only Davis hesitated as he looked back to Tai. He was hesitant about leaving Tai behind, but like the other kids, he yearned for a warm place to sleep. Davis only followed the others, as Veemon gently guided the confused and worried boy into the mansion.

But, what about Agumon?

Although, Agumon wanted to go with the others, he knew deep down that he couldn't. Sighing, he shuffled over to the silent brunette, and reached up and gently took Tai's gloved hand into his clawed one. Blinking owlishly, Tai turned inquiring eyes on the little dino; as if surprised by his actions. Just then, Tai's glove glowed softly and Agumon was surprised when the four Digimon from the beach, slowly appeared around them. Tai tensed slightly, but relaxed when the lone female Digimon gently took Tai into her arms; running her hand through his thick brown locks. "Oh sugah," She said with a soft sigh.

Shaking, Tai's arms wrapped around her waist as he cried into her chest. Agumon was left confused as the other Digimon surrounded them, as if to reassure the distraught boy. "Kid," The wooden robot said gruffly. "What happened before?" Agumon looked at the robot with surprisement. What was the robot talking about? What did he mean by 'before'? "Takuya," The nymph said softly, cupping the boy's chin forcing him to look up; his eyes gleaming with tears. "What happened to the others?" She asked gently. "They're gone," He whispered, his voice trembling as he tried to fight back tears. "Gone?" The metal one inquired. "Don't you get it, Mercurymon?" Tai whimpered, before looking to said Digimon, pearly tears trickling down his face once more.

"They're dead!" He cried.

"And it's all my fault!"


	12. Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids are happy by such a find; a warm place, a wonderfully large and spacious bath area, delicious food and soft beds. It was a shame that Tai had to be such a jerk. However, what if there was a reason behind his attitude? Looks like they should have trusted Tai, once certain revelations came to light.

Oooh…

"The nerve of that guy," Matt grumbled sourly as he and TK entered the foyer. Izzy was frowning as he walked in, his dark eyes thoughtful. Mimi was scowling, her pink eyes slightly darker in her anger. Sora had a hand on Davis's shoulder, as if to reassure him. Joe, on the other hand, had a disturbed look to his eyes; it was as if something was bothering him. TK was looking around the large area with wide blue eyes, admiring everything. The first floor was set up rather nicely, with white washed walls and a soft gray trim. Grand pillars lined up perfectly, a spiral staircase that lead upstairs, and various pictures were scattered about. It was easy to see where the dining hall was, and there was another closed door.

"What's that?"

…hm?

Hearing TK's curious question, the kids all snapped out of their thoughts and followed the little blond's gaze, wondering what had gotten his attention. There, perched on the wall that stood across from them, was a grand painting. The painting was that of a tall, lithe male with wavy blond hair and was dressed entirely in white. What really got their attention, was the elegant white wings that protruded from his shoulders.

Oh wow.

"It's an angel," Mimi breathed, softly. Their partners were confused, and no wonder. They hadn't seen an angel before; they've heard of angel types, though. "What's an angel?" Patamon asked. "Well," TK paused, pondering over how he should explain. "Angels are like guardians," His blue eyes brightened. "Kinda like you guys!" He said cheerfully.

Interesting.

.-.-.-.

Huh.

Moments ago, the Digimon had followed a delicious scent; their words, to a grand table full of all sorts of food. Surely, there must be other people living here. After all, how else would all of this food get here? It was, however, disgusting to see how appalling the rookies manners were. Apparently, the food was just that good.

While everyone sat down to eat, Joe was still disturbed by his growing suspicions. TK, who was sitting next to Davis, noticed the worried look to his red eyes, and leaned in slightly. "Are you worried about Tai?" He whispered. The little redhead looked up, as if surprised by the sudden question. Blinking owlishly, Davis slowly nodded. TK was thoughtful before smiling warmly. "I'm sure Tai's alright," He assured the smaller boy. "He's just being a jerk right now," The blond continued as Davis frowned. Davis wasn’t sure if he liked how the blond was insulting his friend. 

"Joe?"  
"Is everything okay?"

Hm?

Having been picking at his meal, Joe felt his appetite disappear, before looking up after hearing Sora's concerned question. "Ah, I'm fine," He mumbled, his eyes traveling downwards. Sora raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him. Joe remained stubbornly silent, and after an awkward pause, Sora set her fork down before turning to Joe. "Alright Joe," Her voice was soft but firm. "Something is bothering you," Sora continued, getting the attention of the others. "What is it?" Joe hesitated, seeing that everyone was staring at the two with curiosity. She stared at him for a moment, before sighing heavily. "It's about Tai," She said softly. "Isn't it?"

A flinch.

"Dunno why you should be worried about him," Matt grumbled, still angry over Tai's attitude. Joe looked down, chewing his lower lip as he fretted over the decision of whether or not if he should confirm his suspicions. After awhile, Joe sighed and sent a silent apology to the brunette. "You guys don't get it," Joe said quietly. "Tai doesn't scare easily," He continued, before looking up with an uneasy gaze. "Something about this place really got to him." Izzy raised an eyebrow, suddenly thoughtful. "What if he’s right," Joe's voice grew a bit louder. "What if there's something wrong with this?"

Could Tai be right to be weary?  
…yeah right.

.-.-.-.

The sun was setting, and from outside, darkness began to settle. Thankfully, there was a set of hot springs that acted as baths. There was a wooden wall that divided the two, allowing the boys to take one and the girls to take the other.

A perfect way to end a long day.

.-.-.-.

"This is the life," Mimi sighed, leaning back. She had her hair down, and was enjoying the delightful heat from the steaming bath. Hmmm, the hot water was doing wonders in easing tense and sore muscles that she hadn't even known that she had. "I'll say," Sora agreed, her eyes closed with delight. This really was enjoyable, too bad that Tai had to be such a jerk. If not for his poor attitude earlier, he could have enjoyed a wonderful meal and this bath. Well, his loss was their gain!

"You're right about that, ladies."

…huh?

Mimi and Sora's eyes snapped open and were shocked and horrified to see Gomamon floating by. "EEek!" Mimi squealed, trying to cover herself up. "You jerk!" Sora yelled. "This is the girl's side!" Biyomon squawked. Gomamon yelped as Palmon grabbed him with her vines and threw him back over to the males side.

Oh Gomamon…

(...)

KER-SPLASH!

The boys yelped, shocked by the sudden splash, only to watch dumbfounded as Gomamon surfaced with a splutter; coughing up water. "What were you doing over on the girl's side?" Izzy asked, sharply. Joe shot Gomamon a dirty look as the little seal flushed in embarrassment. "Pervert," The older boy grumbled.

Ouch.

Shaking his head, Matt turned to Joe; who kept muttering darkly under his breath. "Joe," He said softly. "You know Tai better than Sora and I do," Joe looked over, just as the other boys perked up. "Has he always been like that…?" Matt trailed off, inwardly grimacing. How Joe hadn't lost his temper with the blond, Matt would never know. 

"Well…" Joe swallowed, wondering how he should put this. "I do know that since his accident, Tai has been a bit on the depressed side." Izzy looked up, remembering what Tai had said of his injuries the day that they had landed here. "A bit?" Matt repeated dryly, raising an eyebrow. Joe flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You think the reason behind Tai's change in attitude has something to do with whatever was in that needle?" Izzy questioned. Joe froze at the implication, before turning a sickly color. "Oh gods," He whispered, covering his mouth. "I hope not."

Don't hold your breath, Joe.

.-.-.-.

As the kids finished up with the hot soak, they promptly wrapped themselves up in thick, fluffy white towels. Before the bath, they had discovered a massive room with beds for each kid; another delightful find. Funny, did the ground shake just now?

.-.-.-.

Red eyes glowed softly as he stared down at his prize, a strange gleam reflected back. The little dino had finally decided to digivolve once he had shown himself to the boy. Since this was the dino's first time, he was easily taken out. Although those unusual Digimon with the boy put up more of a fight; but not by much. 

As for the boy…

What a wonderful and delicious sight he made. Imagine his surprise when he sensed something familiar from the boy, and knew that this boy was very special. He knelt down, one clawed hand hovering over the unconscious boy, a cruel smile gracing his lips.

/"You're almost mine, little one."/

.-.-.-.

"Davis," Veemon whispered as the little redhead looked around with a nervous gaze. "We should get back to bed." Davis shook his head, squirming slightly from where he stood. He needed a bathroom and badly; and he really didn't feel like waking anyone up. Now, where was that bath hall again?

…huh?

Davis stopped, a chill going down his spine. Veemon, who had felt the sudden cease of movement, turned to the little boy with curious cinnamon eyes. "Davis," He said slowly, his voice uneasy. "Is something wrong?" The little redhead was turning pale as he shivered, his eyes darting about wildly.

/"Clever boy."/

What the -- ?

Without warning, the ground gave a tremendous lurch and the two could only stare in utter shock as the mansion seemed to fall apart around them. The once grand walls began to crumble as parts of the floor gave way, and even the ceiling was crumbling away into nothingness. The duo could hear the frightened cries of the others as their beds were roughly lifted high into the air; and were flying about.

Who was doing this?

Hearing the soft footsteps, Davis and Veemon turned, shocked when a Digimon revealed themselves. And this Digimon, was not like the ones that they had met before. No, this Digimon was giving off an air of malice. The Digimon was tall, much taller than Leomon, and was definitely human in shape; and clearly male. The Digimon was rather muscular and what skin could be seen had a grayish-blue tint, otherwise he was clad from head to toe in a skin-tight dark blue-black bodysuit; a suit that had a built in armored and horned helmet. 

Leather belts could be seen here and there (seriously, what's with all of the belts?), but brown leather straps were visible around his far too long arms. Odd, how his left hand sported a single, blood red claw. There was an orange bat painted across his chest, and along his right boot, and a skull shone on his right shoulder and on his left knee. The only other source of armor on him, besides the helmet, was that of his left boot. Last, but not least, were the tattered, bat like wings protruding from his shoulders.

Red eyes glowed softly.

Hanging onto the flying beds, the little Digimon recognized the new one immediately. "That's Devimon!" Biyomon squawked, her blue eyes wide with fear. "Wait," Sora's eyes snapped to the crumbling ruins that had once been a mansion. "What happened here?" Was everything…just an illusion? 

Not good.

/"You really should have listened to your little friend,"/ Devimon purred, his voice low but silky smooth. /"He was right to be weary.” At this announcement, all of the kids paled as they realized the truth of the ominous words. Tai, he had been right about the mansion. It had been a trap the entire time. 

Why hadn't they listened?

Wait -- where was Tai?!

"Where's Tai?!" Joe demanded frantically, peering over the edge of his bed. Devimon looked up momentarily, his red eyes gleaming with dark amusement. /"Oh? Do you mean…him?"/ With a snap of his fingers, a semi-clear dome of energy appeared before them; and trapped within was a very familiar figure.

"TAI!" They screamed.

The brunette looked bad, even from what they could see. Tai was clearly unconscious, but thankfully, he was still breathing. Deep cuts and painful burns marred his pale skin, and his clothes were torn in several places. What was unnerving, was seeing the stream of data circling Tai's waist.

"What did you do?!" Sora yelled.

Devimon smiled, such a cruel one at that, and looked to the trapped boy. /"He put up quite the fight,"/ He mused, before placing his left clawed hand on the sphere. Moments later, dark energy cackled, and Tai screamed in agony; his body convulsing from the sudden energy surge. A moment later, he pulled back, just as Tai's form flickered when the data ribbon faltered.

What…?

Suddenly, the entire mountain started to crack and began to split open. From above, the kids were horrified to see hundreds of black gears. /"Did you really thought that your arrival went unnoticed?"/ Devimon said coldly. There was a second lurch, and without warning, Infinity Mountain broke apart. They watched as three familiar 'islands' passed by; the Yokomon village, that creepy factory and even Toy Town. /"I do have to admit, I was surprised that you passed my little tests,"/ The dark one mused. He shook his head, as if disappointed by something. /"I will not allow the Digidestined to ruin my plans,"/ He muttered.

Digi…Destined?

The kids squeaked as Leomon and Ogremon appeared. /"Now begone,"/ Came the cold, malicious order. /"Starting with you, child."/ Davis paled, taking a step back as Devimon turned cruel eyes on him. Leomon grunted and lunged for the boy, one large fist raised up. At the same time, Tai's brown eyes slowly opened.

"DAVIS!"

Davis covered his head, cowering, bracing for the impact that would end his life. There was just one problem, though. The blow never came, instead, Davis heard of a soft clack of metal hitting the ground. Confused, he looked down, only to see his device sitting innocently on the ground. To his shock, the screen was emitting a brilliant light; a light that as it washed over Leomon, a dark mass of shadows was leaving his back.

Huh?

Leomon staggered back, shaking his head as the last bit of shadows was sent from his form. Davis carefully picked the device up, amazed by what it had done. "Leomon," Veemon's voice was soft. "Are you…alright?" The lion rubbed at his head, his vision slightly blurry as his head throbbed. "Thank you, little one," he breathed. "You've freed me from Devimon's control." 

'I did?'

Davis looked at his device, before holding it out for the lion to inspect. Leomon blinked, surprised by the sight. "A digivice," He said softly, his voice reflecting his shock. "This proves that you are a Digidestined." Seeing the boy's confused look, the lion guardian was kind to explain. "The digivice is powerless in the hands of anyone else."

That really didn't help.

From within the sphere, Tai was slamming his fists against the energy, his brown eyes flashing with anger. However, all this did, was cause him pain as each blow sent a shock of energy through him. "Bastard!" He hissed, glaring down at Devimon. "Let them go!" Unfortunately, the fallen angel heard him and snapped to attention. /"You're in no shape to be demanding things from me,"/ He scolded, before touching the sphere with his single red claw. Tai screamed as the dark energy tore through his body; twitching violently. He cursed as Devimon released him, the data stream flickering ominously.

[Crap, I can't take another blow like that.]

Leomon saw this, and blue eyes narrowed slightly, one large hand gripping his sword. Despite being controlled by Devimon, he was quite aware of his surroundings. He had been rightfully horrified when the fallen angel had attacked the boy in such a cruel and vicious manner; but admired the boy for his fighting spirit.

A spirit that was close to breaking…

Davis took a step back, shocked when Leomon drove his sword into the ground, just inches from where the boy was. "Leomon!" Veemon yelled. "Are you crazy?!" Leomon's eyes were sharp, but remained on the annoyed Devimon. "Gather the others," He barked. "Only when you're together will you be able to defeat Devimon!" The kids screeched as with a wave of his hand, Devimon sent them scattering to the various islands that once made up File Island. Devimon smirked as Ogremon huffed. /"Not so fast,"/ Devimon mocked. Davis felt hot tears trickling down his face as he realized that Leomon had sacrificed himself just so that the two could escape. As their little island drifted off, they were greeted by the sight of dark purplish clouds gathering over of what was left of Infinity Mountain. Moments later, a pillar of dark energy erupted from the cliffside, reaching up to the skies.

Oh no…

.-.-.-.

Hours later, Devimon stood on the cliff where earlier had been an annoying commotion. Now, Leomon was back under his control, and this time, those pesky digivices would be unable to break his hold. "Don't worry boss," Ogremon said gleefully, waving his bone club about. "We'll get rid of these brats for ya." Leomon was silent, but grunted his agreement. /"I don't doubt that,"/ Devimon mused. /"But they could be a problem,"/ The fallen angel frowned. /"Especially the youngest."/ He then perked up as he gave a toothy grin. /"But not for long,"/ He purred. From behind Devimon, a pair of blood red eyes glowed, as the owner smirked. The Digidestined wouldn't know what would hit them.

/"Let the games begin."/


	13. A Follower or Not?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the others leave him behind, Tai finds out some devastating news. It looks like he had been gone from the Digital World a lot longer than he had first thought. And who is this Digimon that is haunting him?

"They're dead!"  
"And it's all my fault!"

Agumon was still as he looked on with wide green eyes. "Oh hon," The nymph breathed softly, her eyes soft. Things were beginning to make an eerie kind of sense to the little dino. Why Tai was always distant with him, the other rookies and even the other kids; or how he seemed to recognize certain types of Digimon.

What if…?

"Tai…" Agumon said slowly as Tai sniffed, before turning watery brown eyes on him. "Have you been here before?" Tai froze, his face pale as his eyes glazed over. It would seem that this question had sent the poor boy tumbling into painful memories. Still keeping a firm, but gentle hold on the silent boy, the nymph sighed. "Once," She said softly. "But, I'm not sure how long it's been," She murmured. "Five hundred years," Was the soft, but reluctant response; and this came from the metal man.

Wait -- what?

The nymph, robot and goblin all looked at the metal man in shock. "Mercurymon," The nymph gaped. "Are you sure about that?" He nodded, and somehow, Agumon could see the unease upon his face. Mercurymon cupped his chin, his voice uneasy and disturbed, and no wonder. "I was curious on why the world had changed so," He murmured. "Only to learn that it had been over five hundred years since our time," He muttered with a heavy sigh. Tai was coming out of his painful memory when he vaguely heard Mercurymon's admission, and flinched.

[F-Five hundred years?!]

"B-But," He stammered, swallowing thickly. "I-it's only been five years!" The brunette protested with wide eyes. Mercurymon was taken back by this statement, humming as he looked thoughtful. "Tis possible that the link between our worlds were fractured," He mused as the goblin scowled. "What you mean?" The goblin demanded. Mercurymon sighed, a sign of frustration. And Agumon had the feeling that this was a normal occurrence for them. "Both worlds run side by side," He said sharply. "You know this Grumblemon," He snapped as the little goblin flinched. "It appears that link was damaged if so much time has passed," The metal man continued, his voice angry. 

Which meant…

"A year for Takuya," Mercurymon said bitterly. "Equaled a hundred years here." Agumon grimaced as the implications hit him like a ton of bricks. If these strange Digimon were from the past, no wonder he and the other rookies didn't recognize them. To wake up in such a manner and find out that everything that you thought you knew was gone…

It had to be heartbreaking.

A soft snicker.  
…huh?

/"Isn't that interesting?"/ A male's voice echoed around them, a voice that was low but silky smooth. Agumon and the others tensed at the intrusion, looking around wearily. They could hear the intruder, but they could not see him. "Show yourself!" The robot yelled, clenching his fists as his yellow eyes flared with anger.

/"Very well."/

There was a soft hiss and the Digimon whirled around, only to stare as a new Digimon took form before them. And this Digimon, gave off a dark aura that had the older ones in a tizzy. The aura was full of malice; reminding them of their former master.

The Digimon was tall, much taller than Leomon, and was definitely human in shape; and clearly male. The Digimon was rather muscular and what skin could be seen had a grayish-blue tint, otherwise he was clad from head to toe in a skin-tight dark blue-black bodysuit; a suit that had built in armor and a horn helmet. Leather belts could be seen here and there (seriously, what's with all of the belts?), but brown leather straps were visible around his far too long arms. Odd, how is left hand sported a single, blood red claw. There was an orange bat painted across his chest, and along his right boot, and a skull shone on his right shoulder and on his left knee. The only other source of armor on him, besides the helmet, was that of his left boot. Last, but not least, were the tattered, bat-like wings protruding from his shoulders.

Red eyes glowed softly.

Oh hells bells.

Feeling his glove heating up, Tai took a chance and looked down; only to see a profile of the Digimon popping up. He winced at the list of attacks, and seeing 'The Touch of Evil', Tai knew how Leomon was being controlled.

So not good.

"What do you want?" Tai asked sharply, doing his best to keep his unease out of his voice. However, when those red eyes focused on him, something flashed and Tai inwardly winced; knowing that the fallen had definitely heard his unease.

[Why me?]

Devimon's red eyes casually scanned the others, before he snorted. It was clear that he saw the others as nonthreatening. At the corner of his eye, Tai saw the others tensing, before he saw Devimon's red eyes narrowing dangerously.

Uh-oh…

Tensing, Tai braced himself; and just in the nick of time, too. Just as Tai braced himself, Devimon simply raised a hand and flicked his wrist. At the same time, a dark energy wave was sent out; and slammed into the unsuspecting warriors. Tai skidded back slightly from the force of the energy, but otherwise than that, he was fine.

As for the warriors…?  
Not so good.

Due to the fact that the four had been weakened upon their release, the dark energy wave had knocked them back and completely out cold. Managing to lift his head, a shaken Tai was shocked when the four were engulfed in light; before they were abruptly pulled back into his D-Glove. Things were not looking good right now…

Devimon began to stride forward, calmly bypassing the still shocked Agumon, until he was standing before one very nervous Tai Kamiya. /"Now, what shall I do with you?"/ Devimon inquired with a purr, tilting his head. Tai yelped, his voice breaking into a cry of pain when Devimon lashed out; grabbing the boy by his waist, squeezing ever so slightly. His cry of pain caught Agumon’s attention, and the little dino spun around with wide, green eyes. At the same time, the screen upon Tai's glove lit up with light.

DIGIVOLUTION

Agumon…digivolve to…Greymon!

Despite his pain, Tai managed to open his eyes, shocked by the sight of Agumon digivolving. However, unlike the giant Greymon from Heighten View Terrace, this Greymon was much, much smaller. But, it was still the same orange dinosaur; who oddly enough, resembled a T-Rex. The orange dino now sported deep blue stripes along his muscular body and a brown, horned helmet now adorned his head; red eyes flashing with anger.

[Is this a good thing…  
…or a bad thing?]

Seeing how Greymon was opening his mouth; flames growing with each passing second, Tai decided then and there that having Agumon digivolving was a bad thing. In his annoyance, Devimon's grip tightened; and for a moment, Tai swore that he could feel his ribs crack. A rather large ball of flames suddenly shot from Greymon's mouth, and sped towards the duo.

Whoops.

[Damnit Greymon!]

Swiftly dodging the blast of flames, Devimon sent Greymon an annoyed look. At the same time, the heat from the flames; which had soared over Tai's head, left behind some nasty sunburns. "Watch where you're throwing those things!" Tai snapped, wincing as the pressure on his waist increased ever so slightly.

Crap.

/"You are becoming quite the nuisance,"/ Devimon growled, raising his free hand to the agitated dino. Tai's brown eyes widen when he saw the dark energy flaring around Devimon. But, before he could get a word out, Devimon fired the energy at Greymon; knicking the guy in his side. Greymon was thrown back and hit the ground with a sickening crack, knocking him into unconsciousness. Moments later, Greymon's still form glowed softly before reverting back to Agumon. /"I'll deal with you later,"/ Devimon grumbled, glaring down at Agumon. Huffing, he focused back onto Tai, who continued to squirm; his red eyes meeting uneasy brown ones. There, just burning behind those honey brown eyes, was a tiny spark of flames.

Of course.

/"Did you really think that I wouldn't know?"/ Tai froze at the words, before the implications of such words hit him. "I-I don't know what you're talking about…" Tai stuttered, looking away with a nervous tick. 

/"Oh really?"/

…huh?

Wondering what the fallen had meant, Tai slowly looked up only for his pupils to dilate as a surge of pain shot through him. At the same time, a familiar symbol appeared not only on his glove’s screen; but it flashed over his heart. Without warning, Tai was slammed into the ground in such a way, that he was left paralyzed by the pain. As he laid there, drifting in and out of consciousness, Tai felt that someone was looming over him. His eyes fluttered, but the pain proved to be too much and he slowly drifted into unconsciousness; but not before he heard these words…

/"You're almost mine, little one."/

.-.-.-.

[Where…am I?]

Tai grimaced, slowly sitting up; his body still aching from the thrashing that he received. Realizing that something was wrong, Tai's brown eyes snapped open and he was left staring in confusion. This wasn't the cliffside, nor was the 'mansion' anywhere in sight.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

…huh?

.-.-.-.

"…TAI…"

"…did you…"

A surge of extreme pain suddenly shot through him, and he screamed in pain; his body twitching violently. He was drifting in and out of consciousness, and he could hear the angry and frightened cries of the others, and the cruel mocking of Devimon. He had to help them…but how…?

Struggling through the fog, Tai became more aware of what was happening around him; but why was everything muffled? His eyes fluttered wildly, before opening. As his eyes opened and vision clearing, Tai was shocked and horrified to see that Leomon was lunging for the petrified Davis.

"DAVIS!"

Tai blinked, a bit taken back when Davis' digivice reacted as it fell to the ground; the screen lighting up. The brilliant light washed over Leomon, and surprisingly, a large mass of dark shadows was leaving the lion's back.

Oh?

[That must be the darkness from Devimon.]

Leomon staggered back, shaking his head as the last bit of shadows was sent from his form. Ignoring this, Tai focused on Devimon, who didn't look happy about the fact that Leomon had been freed. His brown eyes narrowed when he saw that the fallen was focused on Davis.

Not good.

Tai slammed his fists against the energy sphere, his eyes flashing with anger. However, all this did, was cause him pain as each blow sent a shock of energy through him. "Bastard!" He hissed, glaring down at Devimon. "Let them go!" Unfortunately, the fallen angel heard him and snapped to attention. /"You are in no shape to be demanding things from me,"/ He scolded, before touching the sphere with his single red claw. Tai screamed as the dark energy tore through his body; twitching violently once more. He cursed as Devimon released him, the data stream flickering ominously.

[Crap, I can't take another blow like that.]

Tai was panting, slumping slightly; but his brown eyes were glaring defiantly at the fallen angel. "Leomon!" Veemon's distressed voice snapped Tai from his darkening thoughts, and the brunette snapped to attention. He watched as Leomon drove his sword into the ground, just inches from where Davis stood. "Are you crazy?!" Leomon's eyes were sharp, but remained on the annoyed Devimon. "Gather the others!" He barked. "Only when you are together will you be able to defeat Devimon!" Tai looked up, seeing that the others were trapped on their beds; the furniture flying about in a wild manner. The kids screeched as with a wave of his hand, Devimon sent sent them scattering to the various islands that once made up File Island. Devimon smirked as Ogremon huffed. /"Not so fast,"/ Devimon mocked. 

.-.-.-.

Tai turned his head, shocked as a Digimon; one that he had never seen before, came into view. The Digimon was male, and a human type at that. He was very tall, but with broad shoulders and what skin could be seen was a pale cream. He wore what appeared to be a purplish blue pin suit with a red dress shirt, spiked black boots, a crimson red trimmed gray trench coat (the coat also sported small spikes), a torn red scarf, and a black bear-head shaped helmet that sported a pair of horns; there was a small red 'x' on the muzzle, and glassy red eyes. Long, silver-white hair could be seen flowing around him, and a pair of demonic purple wings.

The machine gun and throwing knife…?

Shudder.

The Digimon had a pleasant smile, but that smile promised him a world of pain. Tai scooted back as the Digimon began to approach him. Suddenly, and without warning, the Digimon was behind Tai; slightly bent forward. Tai was frozen, his brown eyes wide as his pupils dilated. Then, ever so slowly, the pupils within his honey brown eyes, faded. With a soft moan, Tai’s eyes closed as he collapsed. His body flickered, before it seemingly vanished; a sparkling red-orange light, haven been left behind. The light hovered for a moment, before it was in the Digimon's outstretched hand. Those glassy red eyes stared down at the light, and his smile widen slightly.

Heh.

"Now, you are ours, little one." The Digimon chuckled ominously, bringing the light up to his chest. The light flickered weakly, before it gently entered him. The Digimon's chuckles grew as a thin honey brown ring appeared within his glassy red eyes.

Absolutely perfect.


End file.
